HARD PRAYER

This recording by one of America's foremost poets tries to make a case for the prayerful, incantatory nature of poetry. Galway Kinnell's resonant voice emphasizes the materiality of images, and his heavy, tremulous cadences can be dramatic. The live recordings of "The Porcupine" and "The Bear" are chilling. Away from a live audience, however, Kinnell grows melodramatic, as if every poem inspires awe. Perhaps this manner is sufficiently suited to his work though its elongations overwhelm the humor and natural speech rhythms. J.F.P. ©AudioFile, Portland, Maine [Published: JUN 92]