Averno (poetry)
Encyclopedia
Averno is Louise Glück
's eleventh collection of poetry. Averno or Lake Avernus
is a lake west of Naples that the Romans mythologized as the entrance to the underworld. The Greek myth of Demeter
's daughter Persephone
and her marriage to Hades
is a recurring topic in the collection, as are the themes of oblivion and death, soul and body, love and isolation. Most reviewers praised Glück's non-resolution of these tensions. There are eighteen poems in the collection, and several are extended pieces with distinct, brief sections. The collection is divided into two parts. Each part has five chapters.
Louise Glück
Louise Elisabeth Glück is an American poet of Hungarian Jewish heritage. She was appointed Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry to the Library of Congress in 2003, after serving as a Special Bicentennial Consultant three years prior in 2000....
's eleventh collection of poetry. Averno or Lake Avernus
Lake Avernus
Lake Avernus is a volcanic crater lake located in the Avernus crater in the Campania region of southern Italy, around northwest of Pozzuoli. It is near the volcanic field known as the Campi Flegrei and comprises part of the wider Campanian volcanic arc...
is a lake west of Naples that the Romans mythologized as the entrance to the underworld. The Greek myth of Demeter
Demeter
In Greek mythology, Demeter is the goddess of the harvest, who presided over grains, the fertility of the earth, and the seasons . Her common surnames are Sito as the giver of food or corn/grain and Thesmophoros as a mark of the civilized existence of agricultural society...
's daughter Persephone
Persephone
In Greek mythology, Persephone , also called Kore , is the daughter of Zeus and the harvest-goddess Demeter, and queen of the underworld; she was abducted by Hades, the god-king of the underworld....
and her marriage to Hades
Hades
Hades , Hadēs, originally , Haidēs or , Aidēs , meaning "the unseen") was the ancient Greek god of the underworld. The genitive , Haidou, was an elision to denote locality: "[the house/dominion] of Hades". Eventually, the nominative came to designate the abode of the dead.In Greek mythology, Hades...
is a recurring topic in the collection, as are the themes of oblivion and death, soul and body, love and isolation. Most reviewers praised Glück's non-resolution of these tensions. There are eighteen poems in the collection, and several are extended pieces with distinct, brief sections. The collection is divided into two parts. Each part has five chapters.