An archival compendium of three complete works by Mary Oliver: the book-length poem The Leaf and the Cloud, the collection What Do We Know, and essays from Long Life—with a foreword by fellow Pulitzer Prize-winning author of Postcolonial Love Poem Natalie Diaz.
For the many admirers of Mary Oliver's breathtaking poetry of touch and transcendence, as well as for those coming to her words for the first time, Little Alleluias is a revelation.
These works observe, search, pause, astonish, and give thanks to both love and the natural world. In constant conversation with the sublime, (i.e. "Are you afraid? / Somewhere a thousand swans are flying / through winter's worst storm."), Oliver has the rare skill of rendering life: her poems and essays bring movement to stillness, and people to the Earth, themselves, and each other. Page by page, she invites us to walk through her minutes, her moments, and revere the light and dark and rainbowed clothes of world alongside her.
With three distinct books collected in one volume for the first time, Little Alleluias asks what passes and what persists, and offers readers the peace that every mind deserves.
“Hers is a purposeful language, one that looks not just with attention but with sensual intention, and though awestruck, seeks to hold, even briefly, the unknowns of the energies that make any life. Little alleluias, she called her writings. Not meant to define but to praise, to rejoice in the maker and what has been made, to dare be heard as a whisper or a shout in this immense world.”—Natalie Diaz, in her Foreword
thank you for sending
"thank you for sending me a copy of my first read of mary oliver grand central pub !! i've always been so enchanted by her nature-centred poems, and i was so glad to be able to read this one. . this book felt like a call to action to stop and take a deep breath—to practice mindfulness and gratitude. its poetry and prose encouraged me to appreciate the abundance of nature all around me. there is something sacred about the creatures teeming with life around us, something magical in their quiet ability to soothe and heal. this is a great read if you're looking for something cozy and introspective."
