The book jacket of The Book of Light contains quotations from two prominent poets, Sharon Olds and Denise Levertov, that typify the critical response to the book. Olds writes, "These are poems of fierce joy, made as if under the pressure of passionate witness . . . They [the book's poems] have the exactness and authority of laws of nature—they are principles of life." Levertov is equally effusive in her praise, writing, "poem after poem exhilarates and inspires awe at the manifestation of such artistic and spiritual power." Reviewing the collection for Poetry, Calvin Bedient expresses reservations about Clifton's politics.....
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