What do you think?
Rate this book
Between Angels: Poems
" Between Angels affirms what we are capable of in our best moments―grace, tenderness, love―while acknowledging that the human heart can be merciless. It's a book of great breadth."--Gregory Djanikian, Philadelphia Inquirer
- GenresPoetryLiterary Fiction
111 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1989
6 people are currently reading
131 people want to read
About the author
Stephen Dunn
89Ìýbooks127ÌýfollowersStephen Dunn was born in New York City in 1939. He earned a B.A. in history and English from Hofstra University, attended the New School Writing Workshops, and finished his M.A. in creative writing at Syracuse University. Dunn has worked as a professional basketball player, an advertising copywriter, and an editor, as well as a professor of creative writing.
Dunn's books of poetry include Everything Else in the World (W. W. Norton, 2006); Local Visitations (2003); Different Hours (2000), winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry; Loosestrife (1996); New and Selected Poems: 1974-1994 (1994); Landscape at the End of the Century (1991); Between Angels (1989); Local Time (1986), winner of the National Poetry Series; Not Dancing (1984); Work & Love (1981); A Circus of Needs (1978); Full of Lust and Good Usage (1976); and Looking For Holes In the Ceiling 1974. He is also the author of Walking Light: Memoirs and Essays on Poetry (BOA Editions, 2001), and Riffs & Reciprocities: Prose Pairs (1998).
Dunn's other honors include the Academy Award for Literature, the James Wright Prize, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He has taught poetry and creative writing and held residencies at Wartburg College, Wichita State University, Columbia University, University of Washington, Syracuse University, Southwest Minnesota State College, Princeton University, and University of Michigan. Dunn is currently Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing and lives in Port Republic, New Jersey.
Dunn's books of poetry include Everything Else in the World (W. W. Norton, 2006); Local Visitations (2003); Different Hours (2000), winner of the 2001 Pulitzer Prize winner for poetry; Loosestrife (1996); New and Selected Poems: 1974-1994 (1994); Landscape at the End of the Century (1991); Between Angels (1989); Local Time (1986), winner of the National Poetry Series; Not Dancing (1984); Work & Love (1981); A Circus of Needs (1978); Full of Lust and Good Usage (1976); and Looking For Holes In the Ceiling 1974. He is also the author of Walking Light: Memoirs and Essays on Poetry (BOA Editions, 2001), and Riffs & Reciprocities: Prose Pairs (1998).
Dunn's other honors include the Academy Award for Literature, the James Wright Prize, and fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. He has taught poetry and creative writing and held residencies at Wartburg College, Wichita State University, Columbia University, University of Washington, Syracuse University, Southwest Minnesota State College, Princeton University, and University of Michigan. Dunn is currently Richard Stockton College of New Jersey Distinguished Professor of Creative Writing and lives in Port Republic, New Jersey.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
February 9, 2015
Angels as a concept do not particularly resonate with me, which may be why a number of these poems failed to take flight in my mind. I don't want divine failsafes, watchful protectors, anthropomorphic saviors, nor gambling tables, nor luck; my hope takes different forms. If I'm to be really honest, my favorite Stephen Dunn poems (here and elsewhere) are about love, messy and unpredictable and utterly human. So here's to the fallen.
EACH FROM DIFFERENT HEIGHTS
That time I thought I was in love
and calmly said so
was not much different from the time
I was truly in love
and slept poorly and spoke out loud
to the wall
and discovered the hidden genius
of my hands.
And the times I felt less in love,
less than someone,
were, to be honest, not so different
either.
Each was ridiculous in its own way
and each was tender, yes,
sometimes even the false is tender.
I am astounded
by the various kisses we're capable of.
Each from different heights
diminished, which is simply the law.
And the big bruise
from the longer fall looked perfectly white
in a few years.
That astounded me most of all.
December 31, 2016
The poem "Loneliness" grabs me every time I read it. I love how this man can create such specificity out of abstract concepts. Lovely, lovely.
July 28, 2021
He's so damn good. It hurts that he's gone.
May 21, 2015
I liked the first two sections, but the ending third was not terribly satisfying
September 15, 2020
This collection of poems was a breath of fresh air. A lot of the poetry I have been consuming lately has been dark and hard to get through as most contemporary poetry likes to be. This collection, while still showing the deep and dark moments of human experience also showed what people are capable of in their best moments, which sounds cheesy, but Dunn's lyric makes it beautiful. I am always wary to read poems about human nature, but Dunn shows how beautiful humans are in their most human moments like in "On the Way to Work" (35) when the speaker thinks back on a women he observed driving to work in her car. He ponders her and admire's her humanness while in a separate car next to hers, even saying that he could have been the one to love her, but their paths were separate. There was just something so simple and gorgeous about the poems that observed and loved humanity. That being said, some of the poems that took a different turn and did more with spiritual meditation or philosophical pondering lost me, especially in the final section of the book.
Things I liked~
*The human moments and observing the working class with simple and short language. A lot of monosyllabic descriptors are used in Dunn's poems.
*The vulnerability shared in these poems (esp. "Tenderness" on pg. 41) were so accessible. I think it must be hard to describe and use language of the term you are using to inspire the poem.
*It was refreshing to experience direct emotion and vulnerability from the male perspective.
*I liked (and will steal) a lot of the framing terms and placement in these poems.
Things I did not like as much~
*I did feel that the poems on the speaker's thoughts and feelings were less impactful than the poems about human observation.
*The third section of the book took an unexpected (maybe unwarranted) turn and it lost me.
Overall - 4.5/5
Things I liked~
*The human moments and observing the working class with simple and short language. A lot of monosyllabic descriptors are used in Dunn's poems.
*The vulnerability shared in these poems (esp. "Tenderness" on pg. 41) were so accessible. I think it must be hard to describe and use language of the term you are using to inspire the poem.
*It was refreshing to experience direct emotion and vulnerability from the male perspective.
*I liked (and will steal) a lot of the framing terms and placement in these poems.
Things I did not like as much~
*I did feel that the poems on the speaker's thoughts and feelings were less impactful than the poems about human observation.
*The third section of the book took an unexpected (maybe unwarranted) turn and it lost me.
Overall - 4.5/5
April 14, 2023
What a gut punch. Dunn was the age I am now when he wrote this. But that was a time with phones plugged into walls, and if you couldn't remember song lyrics, you bought the record or requested the song on the radio.
The difference between the generations shows, but in a hopeful way in this collection. It wasn't a simpler time at all. Hope, loneliness, and wonder still look the same. You are missed, Mr. Dunn.
The difference between the generations shows, but in a hopeful way in this collection. It wasn't a simpler time at all. Hope, loneliness, and wonder still look the same. You are missed, Mr. Dunn.
April 20, 2018
I really loved reading this.
Sometimes poetry can be difficult to decipher or relate to, but I feel like almost every poem in this book engenders an everyday experience or feeling. I felt personally connected to the poetry, and it was no chore to read every poem in this book.
Sometimes poetry can be difficult to decipher or relate to, but I feel like almost every poem in this book engenders an everyday experience or feeling. I felt personally connected to the poetry, and it was no chore to read every poem in this book.
March 7, 2020
I do not take to many books by living poets, but Dunn captures moments of life that I recognize and sometimes treasure in my own ways. "One and done" me will make an exception and look for more of Dunn's books.
March 23, 2024
“Sweetness�, “Hawk�, and “Collecting Future Lives� are just brilliant. One of Stephen Dunn’s earlier collections- his writing is raw and exploratory, and the last few lines of each poem never fail to surprise.
May 16, 2018
3.75 stars
June 1, 2018
A solid collection. Readable and accessible. Shows a learned observation from a journeyed soul. Settled and confirming of life's twists and turns.
Read
November 27, 2018i didnt read all of it but what i did read was real good
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 17, 2020
Classic book of poetry
May 8, 2020
So simple in its style, but staggeringly impactful. To read a book that makes you feel seen in a way both comforting and glaring—a mirror into the psyche. I was completely moved by this.
March 13, 2023
Real.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 21, 2017
A great survey into boredom.
October 15, 2011
the thing about stephen dunn is that there's time involved. you don't read a poem and have it hit you immediately. (i feel like i don't need to clarify what i mean when i say 'it.') it's not until you think about it later, or read it again, that you can think to yourself after the poem, 'wow,' and really mean it.
between angels is divided into three sections and i think the first section, leavings, is the best, but that might just be because it's the section i've had the most time to ruminate on, to let digest. i read the second two sections today, quickly, which i don't think is the best condition under which to read stephen dunn (or most poetry). already i've reread many of the poems in the last two sections and found them much better and striking than when i first did--though i still think leavings is the strongest part. after being hit by the triple-whammy that is 'tenderness,' 'sweetness,' and 'between angels' in leavings, it's hard for variations and urgencies to compare. (though the book as a whole ends excellently as well with the poem 'walking the marshland.')
they're really quiet about it but that's what brings me to keep on rereading these poems. that's what's already slowly turning them into some of my favorites.
oh, and the best poem in here is 'companionship,' full stop, but choosing a best poem out of a book by stephen dunn feels like a really personal choice, to me, so i suppose it would vary.
between angels is divided into three sections and i think the first section, leavings, is the best, but that might just be because it's the section i've had the most time to ruminate on, to let digest. i read the second two sections today, quickly, which i don't think is the best condition under which to read stephen dunn (or most poetry). already i've reread many of the poems in the last two sections and found them much better and striking than when i first did--though i still think leavings is the strongest part. after being hit by the triple-whammy that is 'tenderness,' 'sweetness,' and 'between angels' in leavings, it's hard for variations and urgencies to compare. (though the book as a whole ends excellently as well with the poem 'walking the marshland.')
they're really quiet about it but that's what brings me to keep on rereading these poems. that's what's already slowly turning them into some of my favorites.
oh, and the best poem in here is 'companionship,' full stop, but choosing a best poem out of a book by stephen dunn feels like a really personal choice, to me, so i suppose it would vary.
May 24, 2010
This collection of poetry is a must-read!
Stephen Dunn is well-acquainted with the inner workings of both himself and others. As you’re reading, you find yourself continually saying “I know exactly what he means� or “Wow, I’ve had moments just like this.� Dunn touches heavily upon feelings of isolation, especially in the context of the modern world, and the fleeting nature of happiness. He takes these thoughts we have daily involving the agonies of life, the beauties of life, the in-betweens, and places them into a short, sweet package.
The simplicity of his language fascinates me, because he still manages to express himself eloquently and convey his ideas without too much fluff. Perhaps it is this straightforwardness that makes his poetry have so much impact.
I particularly enjoyed the poems “The Guardian Angel,� Sweetness,� “Between Angels,� “To a Terrorist,� “Urgencies,� and so many others. It’s difficult to pick favorites. They are all pretty excellent.
Stephen Dunn is well-acquainted with the inner workings of both himself and others. As you’re reading, you find yourself continually saying “I know exactly what he means� or “Wow, I’ve had moments just like this.� Dunn touches heavily upon feelings of isolation, especially in the context of the modern world, and the fleeting nature of happiness. He takes these thoughts we have daily involving the agonies of life, the beauties of life, the in-betweens, and places them into a short, sweet package.
The simplicity of his language fascinates me, because he still manages to express himself eloquently and convey his ideas without too much fluff. Perhaps it is this straightforwardness that makes his poetry have so much impact.
I particularly enjoyed the poems “The Guardian Angel,� Sweetness,� “Between Angels,� “To a Terrorist,� “Urgencies,� and so many others. It’s difficult to pick favorites. They are all pretty excellent.
September 16, 2014
TO A TERRORIST (pp. 79-80)
...
Still, I must say to you:
I hate your good reasons.
I hate the hatefulness that makes you fall
in love with death, your own included.
Perhaps you're hating me now,
I who own my own house
and live in a country so muscular,
so smug, it thinks its terror is meant
only to mean well, and to protect.
... I'm just speaking out loud
to cancel my silence. Consider it an old impulse,
doomed to become mere words.
The first poet probably spoke to thunder
and, for a while, believed
thunder had an ear and a choice.
...
Still, I must say to you:
I hate your good reasons.
I hate the hatefulness that makes you fall
in love with death, your own included.
Perhaps you're hating me now,
I who own my own house
and live in a country so muscular,
so smug, it thinks its terror is meant
only to mean well, and to protect.
... I'm just speaking out loud
to cancel my silence. Consider it an old impulse,
doomed to become mere words.
The first poet probably spoke to thunder
and, for a while, believed
thunder had an ear and a choice.
December 23, 2007
Stephen Dunn is a master. These poems are elegantly simple with no wasted words, no wasted pages.
I've just deleted about 400 words that tried to explain how good this book is; no review will adequately explain how good this book of poems is.
The best book of poetry I have ever read.
I've just deleted about 400 words that tried to explain how good this book is; no review will adequately explain how good this book of poems is.
The best book of poetry I have ever read.
February 13, 2008
One of the most beautiful collections of poetry I have ever experienced. Dunn takes an incisive look at the difficulties of adulthood, particularly the painful reality that, as Wallace Stevens writes, "Every minute love's bones grow lighter."
September 2, 2012
The first book of poetry I loved on my own. I read it while fifteen and sitting on the dock of my friend Lacie's beach house. It is one of the few books to have lived in all four states with me. Urgencies and Essay on the Personal are still two of my favorite poems.
April 23, 2008
An irreverent rendering of the sacred and the profane pilgrimage through life from one of our best contemporary poets.
May 31, 2008
Another good book by Stephen Dunn. Spare. Human. Perceptive. Even the angels are powerless, and must surrender to human suffering.
January 31, 2011
I haven't read a merely decent collection from him yet.
#02
#02
Read
April 16, 2024Don’t bother. No sense of a human being’s likes or dislikes. Castrated poems acceptable for magazines and reading to people to further confuse them as to what poetry is.
April 30, 2019
I've admired Dunn for many years and was delighted to find this first edition at a bookshop in Concord, MA. This collection as usual did not disappoint. I admire the weight present in the spareness and humility in his delivery. Though I was still a kid in this time, I feel the American poets in the 70's and 80's really set the stage for the current explosion of American poetry. All good.
Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
Can't find what you're looking for?
Get help and learn more about the design.