Danger on Peaks

By: Gary Snyder

Narrated by: Gary Snyder

We are proud to continue our project of publishing Deluxe Audio Editions of the poems of Gary Snyder, read by him. When first published in 2004, it was the poet's first new collection of poems in 20 years. Perhaps his most personal, autobiographical collection, it begins with the young poet ascending Mt. St. Helens in 1945, a climb accidentally timed with the bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. He was 15 years old. Almost 60 years later, after the great Buddhas at Bamiyan Valley were bombed and with the victims of the World Trade Center also "turned to dust", the poet composed a prayer while at Short Grass Temple in Senso-ji, a pilgrim on the path of Kannon, Goddess of Mercy.

This remarkable collection was greeted with broad praise, and as Julia Martin proclaimed, "Moving between relative and absolute ways of seeing, [Snyder] responds to the experience of global conflict and personal pain by reminding readers of the continuity of wildness, affirming the value of art, and invoking an ancient practice of wisdom and compassion."

©2004 Gary Snyder (P)2016 Audible, Inc.

Sublime.

Sublime verses. Beautiful phrases uttered by the poet's own voice. Containing wisdom and peace. Comforting.

Gary Snyder in a Lifetime, Unforgettable

To hear Gary Snyder read his own work is like nothing else. I’ve been reading him since I was a small child, then listening to his kitchen conversation with my father— and still, to hear him read his books, out loud, takes my breath away.

Snyder is Coyote here, telling tales. Recorded in his home in the Sierras, you can feel every critter, leaf, puff of smoke.

What can I say about a writer who so summons, truly evokes the winds in trees and soaring peaks. In these works, nature and beauty overlap modern inconvenience, the roar of the freeway, and you get the essence of *experience.*

Bridging 1945 - 2004, there is a lifetime in these lyrics more clearly stated volumes of memoirs. Thank you, Gary!

Snyder’s verses take you along with him.

So much like Haiku. Each line of his Poems hold visions, ideas, sights, and sounds. The Reader can hold each word for a moment to savor it. I love to listen to his rhythms.

Four Stars. Beautiful. ****

Not my favorite Snyder but good

Not his best to be honest but still worth a listen if you’re a big fan.