Averno by Louise Glück



Averno is the eleventh poetry collection from American poet Louise Glück. 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.