Overview

This edition was published in 1996 by Gnomon Press. The Granite Pail is a masterful collection that showcases the poetic brilliance of one of America’s most underappreciated modernist poets. Known for its minimalist style and deep connection to the natural world, Niedecker’s work combines precision with emotional depth in poems that resonate long after they are read. This volume brings together some of Niedecker’s finest poetry, illustrating her gift for capturing profound truths in the simplest of forms. With themes ranging from the intimate and domestic to the universal and ecological, her poems reflect a life deeply rooted in the landscapes of rural Wisconsin. From meditations on the passage of time to lyrical explorations of nature, The Granite Pail reveals the interplay between solitude, creativity, and the human condition. Edited and introduced by Cid Corman, a champion of Niedecker’s work, the collection highlights her unique voice within the Objectivist tradition and her ability to create moments of beauty and insight with remarkable economy. This edition also provides context for her life and influences, shedding light on her artistic evolution and the lasting significance of her poetry. For both longtime admirers and those new to Niedecker’s work, The Granite Pail offers an essential glimpse into the mind of a poet whose quiet brilliance continues to inspire readers and writers alike.

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Reviews

The book is a good one in the way I want books of poems to be good. It is good poetry. It is difficult and warm. It has life to it. (William Carlos Williams) One of the finest American poets of all, besides being easily the finest female American poet. . . . Lorine Niedecker never fails; whatever she writes is excellent. (Basil Bunting) We are in the presence of a poet whose peers are the Lady Ono Komachi and Sappho. Few others come to mind. (Jonathan Williams) I like these poems because first they attach an undistractable clarity to the word, and then because they are unabashed enough to weld that word to a freely sought, beautifully random instance-that instance being the only thing place and its content can be: the catch in the seine. (Edward Dorn) One's first impule, after awe, on reading The Granite Pail is a double dose of shame: shame at not being more familiar with her work; shame at ever having complained of the narrowness of one's life. (Carolyn Kizer)

The book is a good one in the way I want books of poems to be good. It is good poetry. It is difficult and warm. It has life to it. * William Carlos Williams * One of the finest American poets of all, besides being easily the finest female American poet. . . . Lorine Niedecker never fails; whatever she writes is excellent. * Basil Bunting * We are in the presence of a poet whose peers are the Lady Ono Komachi and Sappho. Few others come to mind. * Jonathan Williams * I like these poems because first they attach an undistractable clarity to the word, and then because they are unabashed enough to weld that word to a freely sought, beautifully random instance—that instance being the only thing place and its content can be: the catch in the seine. * Edward Dorn * One's first impule, after awe, on reading The Granite Pail is a double dose of shame: shame at not being more familiar with her work; shame at ever having complained of the narrowness of one's life. * Carolyn Kizer *

Author Information

Lorine Niedecker (1903–1970) was an innovative American poet associated with the Objectivist movement. Born in rural Wisconsin, she spent much of her life on Blackhawk Island, where the natural environment profoundly influenced her work. Though underappreciated during her lifetime, her work has since gained recognition for its quiet intensity and unique voice in twentieth-century American poetry. Cid Corman's numerous books of poetry include For Crying Out Loud (2002), And the Word (1987), In Particular: Poems, New and Selected (1986), At Their Word (1978), Be Longings (1977), and Livingdying (1970).

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