A collection of modern Hebrew poetry that presents the poems in the original Hebrew, with an English phonetic transcription.

Available again for a new generation, this classic work contains over 150 of the greatest modern French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian poems presented in the original languages and brilliantly illuminated by English commentaries.

The variety of contemporary American poetry leaves many readers overwhelmed. The critic, scholar, and poet Stephen Burt sets out to help. Beginning in the early 1980s, where critical consensus ends, he presents 60 poems, each with an original essay explaining how the poem works, why it matters, and how it speaks to other parts of art and culture.

Available again for a new generation, this classic work contains over 150 of the greatest modern French, Spanish, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Russian poems presented in the original languages and brilliantly illuminated by English commentaries.

"David Orr is no starry-eyed cheerleader for contemporary poetry; Orr’s a critic, and a good one. . . . Beautiful & Pointless is a clear-eyed, opinionated, and idiosyncratic guide to a vibrant but endangered art form, essential reading for anyone who loves poetry, and also for those of us who mostly just admire it from afar." —Tom Perrotta Award-winning New York Times Book Review poetry columnist David Orr delivers an engaging, amusing, and stimulating tour through the world of poetry. With echoes of Francine Prose’s Reading Like a Writer, Orr’s Beautiful & Pointless offers a smart and funny approach to appreciating an art form that many find difficult to embrace.