Maya Angelou's 'The Complete Poetry' is a powerful collection of poems that delve into personal experiences, historical events, and social commentary. The book showcases Angelou's unique writing style, which combines playful and melodious tones even when addressing serious and distressing topics. Through her clever manipulation of the spoken word, Angelou captures emotions and delivers hard material in a melodious package, reflecting her deep inner talent and reverence for confronting dark topics such as slavery, racism, and domestic violence. The collection gathers 180 poems that represent the entirety of Angelou's published and publicly released poetry, spanning various themes like love, loss, joy, oppression, and liberation.
Maya Angelou's poetry in 'The Complete Poetry' is a reflection of the times, capturing the complexities of life through lyrical poems and rhythmic prose. Her work is deeply political, critiquing American democracy and portraying the unique isolation of Black women within the American body politic. The book showcases Angelou's ability to intertwine personal experiences with broader social issues, particularly focusing on Black Southern Womanhood as a source of inspiration. With vivid imagery and poignant storytelling, Angelou's writing in this collection serves as an anthology of Black feminist liberation texts, offering a profound and enlightening perspective on various aspects of life and society.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Triggers may include themes of racial violence, domestic abuse, slavery, and other intense personal and historical subjects.
Has Romance?
There are elements of romance woven throughout Angelou's poems, addressing love and relationships, but it is not the central focus.
From The Publisher:
The beauty and spirit of Maya Angelou's words live on in this complete collection of poetry , including her inaugural poem "On the Pulse of Morning"
Throughout her illustrious career in letters, Maya Angelou gifted, healed, and inspired the world with her words. Now the beauty and spirit of those words live on in this new and complete collection of poetry that reflects and honors the writer's remarkable life.
Every poetic phrase, every poignant verse can be found within the pages of this sure-to-be-treasured volume-from her reflections on African American life and hardship in the compilation Just Give Me a Cool Drink of Water 'fore I Diiie ("Though there's one thing that I cry for / I believe enough to die for / That is every man's responsibility to man") to her revolutionary celebrations of womanhood in the poem "Still I Rise" ("Out of the huts of history's shame / I rise / Up from a past that's rooted in pain / I rise") to her "On the Pulse of Morning" tribute at President William Jefferson Clinton's inauguration ("Lift up your eyes upon / The day breaking for you. / Give birth again / To the dream.").
Maya Angelou: The Complete Poetry also features her final long-form poems, including "A Brave and Startling Truth," "Amazing Peace," "His Day Is Done," and the honest and endearing Mother:
"I feared if I let you go
You would leave me eternally.
You smiled at my fears, saying
I could not stay in your lap forever"
This collection also includes the never-before-published poem "Amazement Awaits," commissioned for the 2008 Olympic Games:
"We are here at the portal of the world we had wished for
At the lintel of the world we most need.
We are here roaring and singing.
We prove that we can not only make peace, we can bring it with us."
Timeless and prescient, this definitive compendium will warm the hearts of Maya Angelou's most ardent admirers as it introduces new readers to the legendary poet, activist, and teacher-a phenomenal woman for the ages.
What can you read after
The Complete Poetry?
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