The One Day
1988 book-length poem by Donald Hall
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The One Day by Donald Hall is a book-length poem. It was included on critic Harold Bloom's list of works constituting the Western Canon.[1]
First edition | |
| Author | Donald Hall |
|---|---|
| Original title | The One Day |
| Published | Mariner Books |
| Media type | |
| Pages | 80 |
| Awards | National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry (1988) |
| ISBN | 0899198163 |
Synopsis
The book is composed of three parts, "Shrubs Burnt Away," "Four Classic Texts" and "To Build a House", employing a 10-line stanza with variable line length in an experimental form. It centers on mid-life anxiety, using phrases like "a preparation of death." It is not completely dark and despairing, as it focuses on how to make a life worth living, instructing readers to: "Work, love, build a house, and die. But build a house."
Awards and Acclaim
- Winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry (1988)
- "Its passion and urgency are rare and remarkable." - The Washington Post
- "...the concept of middle age is explored with fresh insight and expressed in brilliant turns of phrase." - Publishers Weekly.
