The Prophet

We chatted at a conference several decades ago. As we had tea on a patio after her poetry reading, I made bold to ask if she would be publishing a new collection sometime soon. In her distinctively pointed voice, without hesitation, she replied with a grin: “No. I’ve read the late Tennyson.” Yet a couple of volumes of poems have appeared since then, and now Dearly has come out, quickly reaching the bestseller lists.

Like her immediately recognizable speaking voice, the persona of Margaret Atwood’s poems is unique. But unlike her speaking voice, it’s a persona that shifts over time. The latest work predicts and admonishes, though subtly. This is somehow a wiser voice than before — still bracing but winsome. Put down your Tennyson and pick up Dearly.

In the opening sections, we sense we’re sitting with her in the twilight. It’s fall. We’re sipping Laphroaig. We hear the new persona first when she recites the introspective opening piece, “Late...