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hew hollis faber faber posted on october 26 2022 by tearsinthefence i love the waste land my dad an engineer and aeronautical draughtsman who had retrained as a school teacher was not a great reader of poetry but he did like t s eliot and eliot was one of the first poets i read for myself i loved the incantatory nature of his writing and the vivid imagery of the london pub and river scenes in the waste land even studying the poem for english a level didn t put me off although the pencilled translations and notes are still in the margins of my father s copy of eliot s collected poems which i kept after he died neither my own notes nor eliot s published ones do anything other than point elsewhere offering a glossary of source materials allusions and asides that doesn t actually help understand or experience the poem which i prefer to remain as a series of shifting scenes and episodes rooted in 20th century london and modernism others of eliot s poems work differently and critical work that deconstructs or theologizes poems such as ash wednesday or the four quartets are more useful than those that impose a grand narrative on or reveal a hidden meaning in the waste land the title of matthew hollis book suggests that it offers a new approach to eliot s poem i was intrigued by the notion of the biography of a poem rather than a poet however the subtitle is a misnomer what we actually get is yet another sprawling biography of ezra pound t s and vivienne eliot and an account of their interactions with each other publishers writers supporters enemies and critics i m really not sure what hollis thinks his book is doing or why he thinks eliot s interactions with the likes of the bloomsbury set are of particular interest the book is often clunkily organised with set scenes interspersed with both summative episodes and unwanted authorial commentary and scene setting what are we to make of the fact that a hunter s moon hung low over margate p 290 or that pound took to life on the left bank p 278 or being told that something truly exceptional had taken place between eliot pound and the waste land something truly rare p 362 pound s editing and re versioning of eliot s draft text is well documented elsewhere not least in the published volume of the waste land facsimile and much written about i really don t need hollis to give me or the editing process his seal of approval better to look at versions of the text and think about how the language and form of the poems and overall sequence works than offer banal context and vague approval there is thankfully some close reading and intelligent criticism on offer here but not enough time and time again we are returned to the geographical settings and perceived or assumed emotions of eliot s life all too often in relationship to a revolving cast of characters whose biographical back stories are awkwardly dropped in for the reader before any action commences the book made me dig out my copy of kevin jackson s wonderful epistolic book constellation of genius windmill books 2013 which wittily documents the international web of modernism through the lives of artists musicians writers thinkers scientists and politicians throughout the year 1922 i am glad the waste land continues to find readers and provoke new critical writing but despite hollis note that he has not drawn on previous biographies and has returned to original sources and i am not accusing him of doing other than he claims it mostly feels like an intelligent and thoughtful condensing and distillation of material that is already available it s engaging mostly well written stuff but it needed to focus on the poem more which surely is along with other work by eliot what it s all about pound gets it right in the 1966 quote which hollis uses as one of the book s epigraphs i can only repeat but with the urgency of 50 years ago read him rupert loydell 26 th october 2022 share this email a link to a friend opens in new window email tweet more print opens in new window print share on tumblr share on reddit opens in new window reddit like this like loading 1 comment posted in biography books english poetry english prose and tagged bloomsbury set ezra pound kevin jackson matthew hollis t s eliot vivienne eliot bookmark the permalink possibly a pomegranate by alwyn marriage palewell press posted on october 25 2022 by tearsinthefence the pomegranate with its abundant red seeds provides a perfect motif for these poems which are subtitled a celebration of womanhood a theme which alwyn marriage explores across different cultures through memory creativity and myth the theme of fruit is a constant in the collection the title poem offers the fascinating suggestion that it may have been a pomegranate that tempted eve in the garden of eden but i was mostly intrigued by the background etymology that shows how the word malum in latin is synonymous with both evil and apple a confusion perpetuated by artists down the ages who have given flesh to the mythical fruit and displayed it as an apple in all its juicy plumpness these are the key words juicy plumpness which reference birth and motherhood in possibly a pomegranate where women offer breasts to infants and feel their life force flow saturday s child in the poem skin an infant that is firm plump soft snuggles up close to the narrator who inhales the sweetness of the baby with its perfume of a fig that s ripe for eating poems in this collection describe growth decline and renewal not only in womanhood but also in nature and its effect on emotions and knowledge the poet considers the mystery of life by discovering the green heart of the woods field trip an experience which becomes visionary and mystical aware of air still when i am still moving when my body moves of forest floor deep pile of leaves echoed here in carpet soft receptacle for feet of this mysterious collection of particles translated into skin and bones warm flesh and hair that s open to everything that surrounds me that is in me that is me breathing a world into existence the aspect of possibly a pomegranate that most appeals to me is alwyn marriage s skill in weaving and telling stories in the title poem she claims that our oldest stories sometimes hold more truth than history and emphasises the creative mind of generations that devise explanations for the way things are two narratives i particularly enjoy in the collection are finger four and the clue lies in the lady s toe the first is a memory of a teenage love a song like poem where the girl and jimmy the young boy are singing while they are fishing and the hook on his line draws blood from the fourth finger of the girl s left hand her ring finger and this becomes a faint reminder of a scottish boy who though he sang so sweetly on a sunny day failed to catch any fish or me the lady s toe poem was written after seeing the bronze statue of a king and queen on a scottish hillside and wondering about the different texture of the metal on the king s right knee which is so smooth the humorous conclusion to the poem comes in the final stanzas where a sheep like a pilgrim kissing a statue of the virgin mary sidles up to the impassive king and meditatively rubs her rump against his knee possibly a pomegranate offers a wide range of tonal effects from the joyful to the poignant the amusing to the profound throughout it is the observation of details both quirky and everyday that intrigue and fascinate details as small as cherry stones uncovered amongst flint and rubble in what was once a small town garden evidence says the narrator that at least one person on a number of occasions in summers long ago sat in this garden spitting cherry stones alwyn marriage has written a varied and enchanting collection here it is finely produced by palewell press mandy pannett 25 th october 2022 share this email a link to a friend opens in new window email tweet more print opens in new window print share on tumblr share on reddit opens in new window reddit like this like loading 1 comment posted in books english poetry and tagged alwyn marriage garden of eden palewell press pomegranate womanhood bookmark the permalink hy brazil by gerald killingworth matador posted on october 18 2022 by tearsinthefence hy brazil is an absorbing and compelling book written in the tradition of historical fantasy which is an intriguing genre the narrative is set in elizabethan england beginning in the year 1591 but the fantastic elements which encompass two thirds of the novel take place in a fabled realm inhabited by the elven folk the phantom island of hy brazil supposedly in the atlantic somewhere west of ireland and marked on several maps of the time legends describe this celtic otherworld as cloaked in mist except for one day every seven years when it becomes visible always however it is supposed to be unreachable the book is written in the first person by edward harry and everything is perceived from his viewpoint this is clearly stated in the foreword which declares i myself edward harry am the only begetter and so i shall be the first word in all the telling the prologue continues this assertion with the opening line i was born i know not when where and from what parents no soul has ever thought fit to inform me the generalised name of boy soon irritates the child who insists of being called by the names of two great kings this attitude is a key to edward s character as he reveals himself to be impetuous impulsive arrogant a quick witted character with a love of adventure ambitious and self seeking to the hilt as he reached out for glory and the company of my betters edward harry has a great many faults which frequently land him in trouble but he is also honourable and principled compassionate loyal and very likeable early in the book edward becomes secretary to edmund spenser the poet and i found this a fascinating section the background is the imposition of rule by the english upon ireland and the hardship and suffering this caused the name of spenser in ireland is still one to be spoken with a curse edward harry himself is proud of being english his opinion on the situation is that they the irish had lost all their possessions no doubt followed because they were unfit to hold them spenser himself is presented as something of an enigma for he seemed to be two men the one quite willing to root out all irishmen so that the other the poet could enjoy their countryside in peace a subtle touch introduces the fantastic elements of hy brazil when edward and his friend calvagh are blown off course while at sea in a small boat and find themselves landing on the shores of the fabulous island not knowing what adventures will befall them we were drawn says edward wherever the green line led to the rainbow s end to the rim of the world or perhaps to hell the situation in fact does develop into something resembling hell for hy brazil is not a pretty dream like island with elves and fairies and sweet talking animals but a place of brutality violence and ongoing savagery and conflict edward s adventures are riveting and i for one relished the strangeness the grotesques and monstrosities and the motley assemblage of oddities that creep into the novel under gerald killingworth s brilliantly skilful and imaginative pen this is most definitely a book that once started is not to be put down hy brazil is intended to be the first of a trilogy and i hope it will be it is too good not to be continued every reader will want to know what happens next for further information and purchase of copies contact gerald killingworth at gkllngwrth aol com mandy pannett 18 th october 2022 share this email a link to a friend opens in new window email tweet more print opens in new window print share on tumblr share on reddit opens in new window reddit like this like loading 1 comment posted in books english fiction historial fantasy and tagged celtic otherworld edmund spenser gerald killingworth historical fantasy hy brazil bookmark the permalink wrappings in bespoke by sanjeev sethi hedgehog press poetry posted on october 16 2022 by tearsinthefence the poems in sanjeev sethi s new collection explore feelings and troubling emotions and question relationships via complex reasoning and apparently cryptic language words their enchanting sounds and ambiguous meanings are the means to investigate who we are and our position in this world and can be used to make sense of what is around us sethi proposes a rethinking of being human and of our existence in this world using intentionally uncommon words and syntax new possibilities are therefore envisaged that suggest different visions existential implications haunt the lines proposing a wisdom of sorts although it is provisional it is always thought provoking sartre s concept of nothingness seems to be a reference point in relationships we are tested and may fall into nothingness in an experience in which existence precedes essence as sartre claims it is a process of growth and openness to the other that jeopardises our self but despite that it is still necessary the essence of the self seems to be the goal of sethi s poetry which is scrutinised in depth through language and all its complexities and surprising paradoxical aspects rigmarole after the drill of social punctilios when curtains are drawn the blah blah of bovarism lies peeled in those willing to eavesdrop on themselves the therapy of truth unveils its secrets we know our lies better than all the light there is after a mortise level on laminate of life it is meaningless to tend to every kernel of truth attempts to amp this will only end in ache the key is to find your centre if there were a panopticon edge to one s script there wouldn t be need for prophets to be famed for clerihews is so meta synesthesia bedrocks all impulse what is the colour of your grief pain isn t proprietary join the party compared to sethi s previous poetry the poems in his latest collection are more concise and epigrammatic they are more intellectual in some way and the language is at the edge of experimentalism sethi lives in mumbai he is the author of seven books of poetry and has been widely published in reviews and magazines such as london magazine the fortnightly review stand magazine dreich and many others sethi has been involved with the poetic process for fifty years and has been publishing seriously for the last 40 years he is a voracious reader and posts his poems daily on his instagram and twitter accounts though he joined social media less than a year ago sethi is therefore constantly immersed in poetry which is part of his essence and fuses with his everyday life in this collection the themes of love solitude loss grief and old age are barely sketched in an existential journey in which only poetry seems to hold things together certainties and relationships have disintegrated and everything is questioned in witty lines that cannot be made into illusions the protagonist ...
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