In her slim, luminous third book, The Universe in Verse, essayist and philosopher Maria Popova (Figuring) pairs 15 essays that explore scientists and their signature ideas with corresponding poems on similar subjects. Interspersed with Ofra Amit's whimsical illustrations, the collection--a tribute to the eponymous annual event Popova hosts--seeks to capture the wonders inherent in both science and poetry, which Popova sees as valuable "instruments for knowing the world more intimately and loving it more deeply."
Popova's book covers a broad range of scientific discoveries, including Euclid's foundational geometric principles and the Hubble Space Telescope's groundbreaking photographs of galaxies and nebulae. Each essay provides a brief factual overview of its subject, but Popova goes beyond mere instruction to celebrate the awe (and sometimes bewilderment) to be found in the deep study of scientific material. Some poems highlight the work of individual scientists, such as Marie Curie in Adrienne Rich's "Power" and Stephen Hawking in Marie Howe's "Singularity." More often, however, they turn a keenly observant eye onto some aspect of the natural world: the complexities of mushrooms, the consciousness of the octopus, the deep resilience of trees. The essays and poetry reflect and refract one another to create a dialogue--sometimes wildly abstract, sometimes quietly witty--that will shed new light on "the beauty in reality laid bare." Readers may be inspired to learn more about the poets and scholars in Popova's pages, or simply sit with the concepts she explores and let these truths become, as her book's subtitle promises, "portals to wonder." --Katie Noah Gibson, blogger at Cakes, Tea and Dreams