Irony, Poetry Books and the Weather

Forgive me if I'm wrong about irony, but when I get snow instead of the Robert Frost poetry book I ordered, I wondered what was going on. I'm still waiting. I received half my order of books yesterday - half, being one book. It was an edition of Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman, using the original text. What I'm still waiting on is Poems by Robert Frost.

It's not that I have a need for these books of poetry, since they were on my course last semester; I just really liked them. I also have an Elizabeth Bishop poetry book, and when I can afford it from my online survey PayPal vouchers, I'll be getting a book of Tennyson poems. I kind of fell in love with the works of these poets last semester, and I could never find affordable editions of their works in book shops in Dublin (and I have yet to be anywhere with a decent bookshop otherwise... more on that at a later date). So, when I found them online, I jumped at the chance to buy them.

Buy Poetry Against Cancer here

I just wish the Frost book would arrive! I have a feeling the snow and ice here in Dublin is affecting the post... but that doesn't explain why the two halves of my order were sent separately! It doesn't make any sense, dammit!

Also, while I'm here, I'll give Poetry Against Cancer another mention; it's still on sale, and I really, really hope you'll support it. All the money, as I've said several times before, goes to St John's Ward at Our Lady's Children's Hospital here in Dublin. The book is affordable and makes a great present for poetry fans!

Until next time, take care with this adverse weather! I hope it doesn't affect you too badly.

Review - Eunoia

Let me explain this, for those who don't know. Eunoia is the shortest word in the English language that contains all five vowels. It means "beautiful thinking." Eunoia is also the title of Christian Bok's poetry book, which is what I'm reviewing.

So... why did you buy this?

Okay, so I was walking home with some friends and one of them mentioned the word Eunoia. He thought it was pretty neat. He told us what it meant, why he liked it, stuff like that. The next day I saw a book - this book - that had the title Eunoia. I thought, "That has to be a sign." I read some Amazon reviews. I read the first page. I liked what Bok was doing. I bought the book.

What's so special about it?

There are five chapters in the Eunoia section of the book - A, E, I, O, U. Each chapter uses only the title vowel in it, no others. So chapter A is made up only of words that contain an A. Even Y is avoided. He doesn't cheat! He gets through all five vowels with this, swearing a few times, telling some wonderful stories through the poems and displaying the full force of the English language. It's experimental poetry on a whole new level! I've never read anything like it, and I don't think I'll ever read anything like it again.

Was it difficult to read?

It takes a little bit of getting used to, but once you get into it it's fairly easy to read. You begin to appreciate the style and the grace and the power of the individual vowels. Bok's control over words it just too impressive to worry about not understanding everything he's saying. So, a little bit difficult, but worth it.

Recommended to..?

If you're looking for something unique, this is it. If you love words, this is for you. If you like experimental forms of writing, buy this book. But if you want something easy, don't bother. If you want something that makes sense grammatically and within all the usual constraints of speech - even written speech - then don't go for this. There are plenty of books that fall into line with language you can understand in the ways you understand it. Still, it's a wonderful book. I hope that if you do read it you'll enjoy it.