The Modern Element: Essays on Contemporary Poetry

A collection of bold, insightful, and controversial essays by “a poetry critic of the very first order” (New York Times).

Over the last ten years, through essays in The New Republic, The New Yorker, and other magazines, Adam Kirsch—“one of the most promising young poet-critics in America” (Los Angeles Times)—has established himself among the most controversial and fearless critics writing today. Sure to cause heated debate, this collection of essays surveys the world of contemporary poetry ...