Four Recent Works on Robinson Jeffers

Black and white ph otograph by Leigh A. W ien er.© 7410, In c.-Th e W iener Group & Devik W ien er E s s a y R e v i e w F o u r R e c e n t W o r k s o n R o b in s o n J e f f e r s T e d O l s o n N in e t e e n e igh ty - sev e n , t h e c e n ­ te n n ial o f R o b in so n Je ffe r s’s b ir th , a lso m ar k e d t h e b e gin n in g o f a r e asse ssm en t o f t h at p o et. T h e 1987 p u b licat io n o f tw o e x c e lle n t c o m p i­ latio n s ( R ock an d H aw k : A Selection o f Sh orter Poem s by R ob in son Je ffe rs, ed ite d by R o b er t H ass, an d Robin son Je ffe rs: Selected P oem s, a Br it ish v o l­ u m e e d ite d by C o lin F alck ) e xp o se d m an y n ew r ead ers t o t h is C a lifo r n ia p o e t ’s b est w ork. T h e n , b etw een 1988 an d 1991, th e St an fo r d U n iv e r sit y Press r ele ased th r ee v o lu m e s o f T h e C ollected Poetry o f R ob in son Je ffe rs (a fou rth v o lu m e, t o fe atu r e an ap p a r a­ tu s an d n o te s, is slate d for e v e n t u al p u b lic at io n ). T h is ac t iv it y w as cau se for c e le b r at io n , as Je ffe r s’s w ork h ad b een p o or ly ser v ed for so m e tim e. By h is c e n t e n n ial year, m ost o f Je ffe r s’s or igin al p o etr y v o lu m es w ere o u t o f p r in t, an d tw o ear lie r co m p ilat io n s still in p r in t (T h e Selected Poetry o f R obin son Je ffe rs [1938] an d R ob in son Je ffe rs: Selected Poem s [1 9 6 5 ]) w ere u n satisfacto r y r e p r e se n t at io n s o f th e p o et’s career. T h e form er title, by vir­ tu e o f its p u b licat io n d at e , featu r ed n o w ork from t h e last tw en ty-five years o f Je ffe r s’s life, w h ile t h e latter R o b in so n Je ffe r s. 1 9 5 6 . T e d Ol s o n 293 b o o k w as to o slim a cr o ss- se ct io n o f t h e p o e t ’s w ork t o p r o je ct an accu r at e im p r e ssio n o f h is p o e t ic r an ge. T h e r e ce n t r e p u b licat io n o f Je ffe r s’s oeu v...