Monday, June 4, 2012

Failure




It is difficult not to load praise on Philip Schultz’s collection of poems Failure.  At turns very knowledgeable, even pedantic, the poems  become, through the twists of Schlutz’s talents and skills, somehow very down to earth, even mundane in its concerns.   

In this quick moving collection, the language skirts emphasis, focus, speed, concern, very quickly, leaving the reader with a multitude of perspectives to view the subject matter.  At the same time, Schultz manages to come back to about four or five narratives themes throughout the collection, picking them up, putting them down, adding a bit more with each turn.

What we get at the end is just about the best that contemporary poetry can offer.  An intelligent, meaningful collection that leaves us wanting more.

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