“News of the World”

In “News of the World,” Philip Levine journeys around the world, with poems that take place in locales as varied as Detroit, Andorra, and Spain. Levine’s poetry has always lived in that space between reality and magic, and he deftly combines the two in his latest collection. In Detroit, for instance, he writes about the struggle of late-shift workers to find a filling breakfast; in Andorra, he weaves the strange and wonderful tale of a Communist who can provide customers with anything they dream of, be it an American luxury car, a Hollywood film star, or a French radio. Publishers Weekly says, “He writes in an autobiographical mode, in long stanzas that flirt with iambic pentameter, while also encouraging the reader to participate.” The Pulitzer Prize-winning poet has produced multiple books, but he has in no way become complacent. The New York Times writes, “In ‘News of the World,’ more consistently than in his last couple of collections, he’s able to step out of his element — the three-beat line, the assembly line, the insistent second person — and be surprised.”