But really no one is exceptional,
No one has anything, I'm anybody,
I stand beside my grave
Confused with my life, that is commonplace and
solitary.

The poems in The Lost World read as the inner monologues of a range of characters—husbands, wives, old women, animals. These sketches capture the voice and rhythm of thought without losing the melody of poetry, similar to Robert Penn Warren and other great Southern poets. Observations are underscored by realization. Jarrell was special and should be read by any fan of mid-century American poetry. ( )