Blys vision is based on his ongoing work with men, as well as on reflections on his. The 25th anniversary edition of the groundbreaking new york times bestseller, with a new afterword by the authorwhich offers a new vision of what it is to be a manin this timeless and deeply learned classic, poet and translator robert bly offers nothing less than a new vision of what it means to be a man. Iron john even though the wild man as a masculine archetype has largely disappeared from western culture, we do not have to go back too far in our history to find traces of it. A couple good friends recommended iron john by robert bly to me, and i recently finished it. Wherever the wound appears in our psyches, whether from alcoholic father, shaming mother, shaming father, abusing mother, whether it stems from isolation, disability, or disease, that is precisely the place for which we will give our major gift to the community.
Robert bly, renowned poet and author of the groundbreaking bestseller iron john, mingles essay and verse to explore the shadow the dark side of the human personality and the importance of confronting it. He addresses the devastating effects of remote fathers and mourns the disappearance of male initiation rites in our culture. For the light around the body he won the 1968 national book award for poetry. The michigan daily archives undoubtedly has the article i wrote in the huge, yellowed volumes in its dusty library if the library or the volumes or the dust are still there. I suppose a man can read cosmo and come away with something too. In the story, an ancient hairy man iron john becomes mentor to a young boy, and each event or adventure is regarded as a stage in male growth. The book uses a fairy tale from the brothers grimm to outline the parts of what bly believes make a whole and wholesome man. Bly takes as the frame for his book the tale of iron john, which the grimm brothers collected in the early nineteenth century, but which in its themes and motifs goes back thousands of years. An exegesis of iron john, a parable about a boy maturing into adulthood with help of the wild man, and part of the grimms fairy tales published in 1812 by german folklorists brothers grimm, it spent 62 weeks on the. In this section, you will find poetry and prose publications by robert bly, as well as a few books about robert bly.
Iron john the pillow and the key 1 iron john a book about men even in our era the agreedon model has changed drastically. By the book may 2, 20 the poet and critic, whose correspondence with the poet tomas transtromer, airmail, has just been published, was influenced by kierkegaard. In iron john, robert bly presented a moderately interesting idea in a very unsatisfying way. Poetry translations prose essays and interviews anthologies and edited books books about robert bly. A book about men 1990, which spent 62 weeks on the new york times best seller list, and is a key text of the mythopoetic mens movement. Iron john the pillow and the key 4 he doesnt have to be top all the time in sex anymore, he becomes empathetic its a new, humming, surprising world. Over time bleje became blye in illinois, soon wearing away to bly, becommg indistinguishable from the english irish nominative form, as in captain bly. Robert bly, in full robert elwood bly, born december 23, 1926, madison, minnesota, u. A book about men 1990, a response to the womens movement, bly has been immensely popular, appearing on talk shows and advising men to retrieve their primitive masculinity through wildness. The iron john story has been around in one form or another for thousands of years. Bly is also a translator of scandinavian literature, such as twenty poems of tomas transtromer. In this deeply learned book, poet and translator robert bly offers nothing less than a new vision of what it is to be a man. Bly has received many awards, including the national book award, for his poetry.
Iron john is about taking men back, through myth and legend, to the source of their masculinity, and finding a middle path between the greater awareness of the sensitive new age guy, and the power and vitality of the warrior. Iron john isbn 9780712610704 pdf epub robert bly ebook. The original version of airmail was a bestseller in sweden in 2001, after which robert bly commissioned thomas r. Young men need initiation into adulthood, to be welcomed among the fathers of the world, or they rage and sulk alone through life.
The long tomorrow leigh brackett epub saskatchewan. Robert bly and the poetics of immanence, in contemporary literature, vol. Iron john searches for a new vision of what a man is or could be, drawing on psychology, anthropology, mythology, folklore and legend. En 1990 publico iron john editado en espanol por gaia ediciones. Robert bly is a poet, author, translator, activist, and leader of the mythopoetic mens movement.
A book about men is a book by american poet robert bly published in 1990 by addisonwesley, and is his bestknown work. Drawing upon jungian psychology, myth, legend, folklore, and fairy tales, the book demonstrates blys masculinist convictions. His resulting book about this ageold story helped establish the mens movement, and. Revised and expanded, and the words you should know to sound smart. Finding rich meaning in ancient stories and legends, bly uses. An exegesis of iron john, a parable about a boy maturing into adulthood with help of the wild man, and part of the grimms fairy tales published in 1812 by german folklorists brothers grimm, it spent 62 weeks on the new york times best seller list and went on to.
Robert elwood bly is an american poet, author, activist and leader of the mythopoetic mens movement. A book about men 1990, which spent 62 weeks on the the new york times best seller list. Guild press became the leading publisher of minority authors in minnesota in. Aug 02, 2001 iron john searches for a new vision of what a man is or could be, drawing on psychology, anthropology, mythology, folklore and legend. Drawing upon jungian psychology, myth, legend, folklore, and fairy tales the title is taken from a story by the. Nov 10, 2015 the 25th anniversary edition of the groundbreaking new york times bestseller, with a new afterword by the authorwhich offers a new vision of what it is to be a manin this timeless and deeply learned classic, poet and translator robert bly offers nothing less than a new vision of what it means to be a man. Aug 20, 2016 robert bly iron john story men and the wound alaska systems. By the book may 2, 20 the poet and critic, whose correspondence with the poet tomas transtromer, airmail, has just been published, was influenced by. Women read iron john openly, hoping to glean some insider information while men read the book furtivelyat least at f. It says that where a mans wound is, that is where his genius will be. Blys vision is based on his ongoing work with men and reflections on his own life. See all books authored by robert bly, including iron john. Download for offline reading, highlight, bookmark or take notes while you read iron john. A book about men 1990, reprinted 2001 as iron john.
Robert bly books list of books by author robert bly. Poet robert bly has for a number of years now worn another hat. Robert bly 1990 chapter one the pillow and the key we talk a great deal about the american man, as if there were. Nov 10, 2015 robert bly is a poet, author, translator, activist, and leader of the mythopoetic mens movement. In addition to being one of our finest poets, robert bly has, over the last 10 years, inspired through talks, workshops. Iron john 1990 robert bly robert bly is a wellrespected american poet. Robert bly iron john story men and the wound alaska systems. Iron john was first published in 1990 and was a bestseller, a cultural phenomena. The grimms fairy tale and classic childrens story read out loud duration. A book about men made him internationally famous, long before he was taken up as the popular bard of the new age movement.
Finding rich meaning in ancient stories and legends, bly uses the grimm fairy tale iron john, in which the narrator, or wild man, guides a young man through eight stages of male growth, to remind us of archetypes long forgottenimages of vigorous masculinity, both protective and emotionally centered. Iron john a book about men by robert bly addisonwesley. Bly, roberts father, was born in illinois, probably in 1901 but no later than 1905. His resulting book about this ageold story helped establish the mens movement, and his seminars inspired its drumbeating, tree. It was a dense, interesting book examining modern masculinity and what men and women can learn about manhood from myths and stories of cultures around the world.
The classic story being used by mens groups today is from grimms fairy tales. By the mid1990s, one could observe men dressed in tatters of leather, middleaged bellies flapping in. Iron john is a book that i recommend as a counselor for both men, and woman read. Bly robert iron john religions, spiritualite religions. Robert bly, renowned poet and author of the groundbreaking bestseller iron john, mingles essay and verse to explore the shadow the dark side of the human personality. Bly had been giving talks on mythology to supplement his income, and found that the brothers grimm tale iron john hit a nerve with men. Bly s vision is based on his ongoing work with men and reflections on his own life. Poet robert blys daughter talks about his memory loss. Women read iron john openly, hoping to glean some insider information while men read the book furtivelyat least at first.
Jan 06, 2012 in this deeply learned book, poet and translator robert bly offers nothing less than a new vision of what it is to be a man. Robert bly is a poet and the founder of a mans movement. In iron john he brings both elements to bear in a way that will only truly be understood by men. Robert bly biography, birth date, birth place and pictures. I think the most vital part of the book is the iron john story that is in the back of the book. An exegesis of iron john, a parable about a boy maturing into adulthood with help of the wild man, and part of the grimms fairy tales published in 1812 by german folklorists. Robert blys long epilogue with alzheimers disease the.
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