Louise Glück’s (1943 – 2023) collection of poems ‘The Wild Iris’ is completely out of the ordinary, deeply personal and surprisingly accessible. That cocktail makes it both lauded and popular; as well as a perfect book for our Library Book Club. The movement of poems takes place in a garden in bloom; on the threshold of spring and summer.
The Library Book Club is everybody’s book club. Fancy a refreshing read, a change of scenery and a nourishing encounter? Come and read The Wild Iris with us!
About the book and its author
Louise Glück was a poet from the USA. She received many prizes and several honorary doctorates throughout her life; as well as the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2020. Appearing as her sixth collection of poetry, The Wild Iris ended up winning the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry of 1993. It is still one of her most popular and critically acclaimed books.
Glück’s poetry is very personal and uses few poetic techniques, such as rhyme or alliteration: her poems have an almost conversational style. Desire and nature are among the prevalent themes in her work.
Practicalities
- We’ve picked the Carcanet edition of 1996 as a reference point (ISBN 9781857542233), but the Ecco edition of 1992 (ISBN 9780880013345) shouldn’t be all that different.
- Each session, we’ll be discussing 18 poems. During the first session, that’s “The Wild Iris” till “Violets”; for the second session it’s “Witchgrass” till “Vespers” (the 4th poem with that title); and for the last session “Vespers” (5th) till “The White Lilies”. Make sure to read these poems beforehand.
- This book club season consists of three weekly sessions on Thursdays 4, 11 and 18 June; you’re not obliged to participate all sessions.
- The location is the Library Lounge, at the entry of the University Library in the Main Building (HG-01A01).
- There’s no need to sign up. If you’d like to receive updates and also to vote for books in the future, you can join the group chat (WhatsApp).
Schedule
5:30 p.m. walk-in: you’re welcome to come in early, to bridge time or to bring and have dinner.
6:15 p.m. opening: we kick off with a round of introductions, and a brief introduction of the book.
6:25 p.m. group discussion: we share our experience and findings reading the book so far.
7:25 p.m. summarising: we look ahead to the next session and summarise today’s session.
7:45 p.m. end or socialising: we end the session, although you’re welcome to stick around until the building closes.
About the Library Book Club
The Library Book Club is for anyone roaming VU’s campus. We read a few books each year, and try to throw something new into the mix each time; passing fiction and non-fiction, poetry and prose, short stories and longer ones along the way. Our librarians select three candidates for a season and you get to vote. If you’d like to engage with this group more often, the easiest way to get involved is through the group chat (WhatsApp).