The One Day

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That One Day.jpg
First edition
AuthorDonald Hall
Original titleThe One Day
Published Mariner Books
Media typePrint
Pages80
AwardsNational Book Critics Circle Award in Poetry (1988)
ISBN 0899198163

The One Day by Donald Hall is a book-length poem.

Synopsis

The book is composed of three parts--"Shrubs Burnt Away," "Four Classic Texts" and "To Build a House", employing a 10-line stanza with variable line length in an experimental form. It centers on mid-life anxiety, using phrases like "a preparation of death." It is not completely dark and despairing, as it focuses on how to make a life worth living, instructing readers to: "Work, love, build a house, and die. But build a house."

Contents

Awards and Acclaim

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