The Asking: New & Selected Poems

Jane Hirshfield is a visionary American writer whose poems explore the complexities of human existence, offering sensual meditations and passionate investigations of our shared and borrowed lives. Her collection, "The Asking," combines work from her earlier retrospective with new poems, exploring language, life, beauty, and transcendence. Hirshfield is a leading advocate for the biosphere and the alliance of science and imagination, offering insights and slant-lights through poetry's arc, delve, and tact. The collection expands our awareness of breakages, grief, and the possibility for repair.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 360 pages
Publication date: 21 March 2024
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd

Jane Hirshfield, a visionary American writer, delves into the depths of human existence through her profound and evocative poems. With a combination of sensual meditations and passionate explorations of our shared and borrowed lives, Hirshfield unveils intricate truths in language that is luminous and precise. In a world where algorithms, assertions, and distractions reign supreme, her poems offer a much-needed awakening response, actively countering the narrowness that pervades our society.

The Asking, a remarkable collection of poetry, encompasses a rich tapestry of work from her earlier retrospective, Each Happiness Ringed by Lions (2005), as well as drawing upon four subsequent collections: After (2006), Come, Thief (2012), The Beauty (2015), and Ledger (2020). Additionally, it includes a selection of 31 new poems, showcasing Hirshfield's continued artistic growth and exploration.

The title of the book, taken from a poignant closing line in one of those new poems, encapsulates the essence of Hirshfield's poetic inquiry. She encourages us not to despair of the falling world but rather to embrace the asking, a call to interrogate language, life, beauty, bewilderment, and transcendence. Through her signature investigation of the conditions, contradictions, uncertainties, and astonishments that shape our existence, Hirshfield offers a profound exploration of the human condition.

A leading advocate for the biosphere and the alliance of science and imagination, Hirshfield brings a unique perspective to both inner and outer quandaries. Her poems offer an abiding compass, guiding us to embrace what is, face challenges with courage, curiosity, and a sense of kinship, regardless of what comes our way. With her keen insight and poetic slant-lights, Hirshfield delves into the smallest ant and the vastness of time, hunger and bounty, physics, war, and love in myriad forms.

The Asking expands our awareness of both breakages and grief and the possibility for healing and growth. Through her quietly magnifying brushwork and numinous clarities, Hirshfield invites us to delve deeper into the intricacies of the human experience, fostering a deeper understanding of ourselves and our place in the world.

In conclusion, Jane Hirshfield's poetry is a testament to her visionary spirit and her unwavering commitment to exploring the human condition. Her poems offer a much-needed awakening response, challenging us to confront the complexities of our existence and embrace the beauty and wonder that surrounds us. The Asking is a masterpiece that will resonate with readers for generations to come, reminding us of the power of poetry to illuminate our lives and expand our horizons.

Weight: 664g
Dimension: 157 x 232 x 31 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781780376790