IF I DIDN'T LOVE THE RIVER

TITLE - IF I DIDN'T LOVE THE RIVER 

WRITTEN BY - ROBERT PRIEST 

GENRE - POETRY 

PUBLISHED BY - ECW PRESS 

PUBLICATION DATE - 20TH SEPTEMBER 2022 

One of the poems in Robert Priest’s superb poetry collection “If I Didn’t Love The River” is entitled “What Francesca Does To English”, and upon reading it, you will be marvelling at the things Robert Priest does to English. This poetry will awe you. 

This book has many poems about love, but maybe no actual love poems in the strictest sense of that term. But there is much about the unpredictability and violence of love, and many a broken heart. 

Stars also play a role in several of the poems, affecting our lives in ways both benign and malevolent; but always randomly. There is humour too, as in “Why I See A Therapist” where Priest bemoans that everything reminds him of the Third Reich, but even this poem turns dark. 

Lighter moments are to be found though, such as the melodic and bouncy “Device”, a twisted tribute to the all-consuming power of the smartphone and its ilk. This is followed by a similar poem, “The Like Process”, an ode to that often elusive and addictive social media conformation. 

Several of the poems are visceral rants about nature and the planet and what mankind can and does do to it. Obviously the pandemic is one of the themes covered, resulting in the hilarious “Infection Prevention for Murderers” which cautions killers to practice social distancing. Sick, funny and brilliant. 

There are many sublime moments in this collection and I am grateful to have discovered Robert Priest’s work. I loved the words and the rollercoaster rhythm Priest imposes on them. Once you “get” his poetry, it gets you too and won’t let go. Mostly dark, even the humour comes at a price; Robert Priest makes you regret laughing as he skilfully twists the tone of the poems. Priest utilises many styles and poetical forms with a cornucopia of themes and images; the results are sometimes delicate, often brutal, but always stunning.

THE MEANING OF METALLICA | RIDE THE LYRICS

TITLE - THE MEANING OF METALLICA | RIDE THE LYRICS

WRITTEN BY - WILLIAM IRWIN 

PUBLISHED BY - ECW PRESS 

PUBLICATION DATE - 19TH APRIL 2022

I’m a casual but longtime fan of Metallica so the premise of this book intrigued me; it may be the first one purely devoted to a critical study of the lyrics of the band’s frontman James Hetfield. 

The title itself is bold and challenging, suggesting a definitive document, but that’s a symptom of the publishing world and not author arrogance. At any rate, the author himself offers the disclaimer that this is his own personal interpretation, not the final word, and that we are welcome to disagree with it and substitute our own.

  

William Irwin is clearly not just a fan of Metallica - he is a F A N of Metallica. This may make the book unpalatable to some readers, but I am fine with it as everyone is entitled to their own opinion, and I am making a personal choice to read Irwin’s. Subdivided into separate (big) themes such as religion (which comes first), addiction, war and freedom - all regular subjects of Metallica songs -  Irwin proffers his interpretation of Hetfield’s lyrics. 

If I am honest, a lot of his conclusions went over my head and many seemed to derive far too great a meaning from certain lyrics, but occasionally he made me look at my favourite Metallica songs in a totally new way, and his obvious affection for the songs is a positive rather than a negative factor. 

On the whole, “The Meaning of Metallica” is a success, shedding new light on familiar songs and encouraging debate. Anyone who disagrees with William Irwin’s conclusions is invited to write their own book.

THE INVISIBLE WORLD IS IN DECLINE: BOOK IX

TITLE - THE INVISIBLE WORLD IS IN DECLINE: BOOK IX

WRITTEN BY - BRUCE WHITEMAN 

PUBLISHED BY - ECW PRESS 

PUBLICATION DATE - APRIL 12TH, 2022

Being the culmination of an ongoing, 40-year “long poem” that I am ashamed to admit I am unfamiliar with, “The Invisible World is in Decline: Book IX” by Bruce Whiteman brings the project to a stunning climax in three distinct parts. 

Less like poems than isolated paragraphs, or at times just single lines, “In Disgrace With God” explores lost love, and finds the poet seeing his empty bed as an accusatory constant in his life. Later the text touches on the purpose of a poet and of poetry, namely to be the “suffering artist”. There is pain and beauty here in equal measure.

The second piece is entitled “Wörte ohne Lieder”, literally “songs without words” (a twist on Mendelssohn's “Lied ohne Worte” collection of piano pieces), Bruce Whiteman proffers translations of texts that were set to music over the years; the works of Mahler and Beethoven becoming vaguely modern, pain-filled love letters.

Centrepiece of the collection is “The Nine”, with each numbered section named after the nine Muses. This work is quite wonderful and ostensibly each section corresponds with each Muse’s specific field of expertise. With interjections from the psychopomp, (a guide for souls travelling to the afterlife in Greek mythology, here becoming, according to Whiteman, the master of dreams) it is probably the best literary examination of the pandemic I have ever read. Whiteman utterly nails the isolation and boredom of lockdown-life; reading it left me aching more than my arm after the vaccine. He takes us on a visceral journey through nature as season inexorably follows season, and we get a strong sense throughout of the crushing weight of time and the endless days of nothingness during quarantine. 

Fragile yet occasionally brutal, this collection is sublime. It made a strong impression on me on my first reading, which is a good indication of the quality of the work, and I now feel compelled to explore the previous parts.

FIFTY-FOUR PIGS

TITLE - FIFTY-FOUR PIGS 

WRITTEN BY - PHILIPP SCHOTT

PUBLISHED BY - ECW PRESS 

PUBLICATION DATE - APRIL 19TH, 2022 

Dr. Peter Bannerman is a rational and methodical, mathematically-minded vet in a small Canadian town who often helps his police-officer brother-in-law to solve crimes. The death of fifty-four pigs in an explosion in a farmer’s barn takes on a sinister turn when a human jawbone is found amongst the porcine carnage, and Peter can’t resist investigating in Philipp Schott’s joyously enjoyable mystery novel, “Fifty-Four Pigs”. 

The book is a cozy-ish (there is some strong language) mystery and is really quite excellent. The story is very easy to read with an engaging and quirky lead character; often funny and deliciously offbeat, it is a joy to follow Peter as he doggedly uncovers the truth with the help of his remarkable sniffer dog, Pippin. The town’s various inhabitants are vividly brought to life and we learn much about its colourful history, a favourite subject of Peter’s. The story has plenty of twists and turns and will keep you gripped until the nail biting finale. 

What a breath of fresh air this book is!  Funny, charming and original, “Fifty-Four Pigs” is irresistible and truly unputdownable. A preview of the next title in the series, “Six Ostriches”, is included at the back of the book, which, on the basis of Philipp Schott‘s superb opener, I am eagerly looking forward to.

 

THE BOOK OF GRIEF AND HAMBURGERS

TITLE - THE BOOK OF GRIEF AND HAMBURGERS 

WRITTEN BY - STUART ROSS 

PUBLISHED BY - ECW PRESS 

PUBLICATION DATE - 5TH APRIL, 2022 

 Hamburgers have featured heavily in Stuart Ross’ poems over the years. Usually introduced, according to the poet himself, when emotions were running high and some levity was needed, they work overtime in this remarkable book. 

In the mostly autobiographical, aptly-titled “The Book of Grief and Hamburgers”, Stuart Ross discusses vegetarianism, Jewishness, Kafka, hamburgers and even people called Hamburger, but mostly he writes about grief; grief following the death of his brother, (something I can relate to), the death of friends and about famous writers who wrote about grief….and hamburgers. A book-length essay, written in verses much like a long poem, the text flows easily, its length unnoticed or irrelevant, like a conversation with an old friend. Famous quotes from films and notable last words pepper the book, albeit after having been “hamburger-fied” (my word for having key words removed and replaced with “hamburger”. Drawings, family photos and poems by other poets also make poignant appearances. 

If you hadn’t already guessed, this is a tough book. As it progresses, the reader gets the impression that Ross is using hamburgers as a “safe space” (to use a modern term) to avoid facing his grief. And there is a lot of it, as friend after friend contacts him to tell him they are either ill or already facing death. Being surrounded by death prompts him to consider suicide. Correctly identifying grief as more of a process of coming to terms, he invites the reader along for the ride. He asks difficult questions - what were his brothers’ last thoughts? Did they know they were dying? Questions that we have undoubtedly asked ourselves at such times. 

Ross makes the profound and affecting observation that he is alive in a world where he will never talk with his parents or brothers again, and wishes he could not be alive himself. At one point he realises that he is procrastinating about facing his own grief in the book, but the reader is happy to stick with him, especially when it’s this well-written.

This stunning work is a eulogy for those who have already passed, and a pained scream for connection with those who are still living. Cathartic, profound, remorseful and brilliant, “The Book of Grief and Hamburgers” is about grief and learning how to grieve, about seeing someone for what might be the last time, and as someone who has been very recently bereaved, at times the book is almost too much to bear. Anyone holding out for a happy ending will be disappointed, but as a way of working through grief this book is a therapy session that you’ll be glad you signed up for.