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Cities & Countries

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(The following is a review from "Literature Monthly" - reviewed by editor Julie Pierce)

"Cities & Countries" is a refreshing book on many levels. Not only is it a fun read - a pleasurable novel for those who appreciate well-written sentences and beautiful "story architecture," but it is also a fascinating adventure into a modern literary world not yet explored. For it begins an excursion into what I will call the "modern heroic epoch."

The 20th century was by no means a poetic dark age. Literature spread it roots like a famished tree in all directions in this last, highly-experimental century. Interesting books were produced, new modes of expression were discovered. There was, however, a theme that pervaded the literature of this time; a theme that could easily be attributed to the genocide of two World Wars. It was the theme of weakness, helplessness - the feeble expression of being a victim.

Many critics persuasively argue that all 20th century literature has stemmed from the writings of the great Norwegian Nobel Prize-winning novelist, Knut Hamsun, with his monumental narrative "Hunger." This argument is sound when we discover that another of the greatest authors to ever set foot in 20th century soil, Franz Kafka, considered Hamsun to be his own greatest influence. And Kafka's effect on modern literature can hardly be over-emphasized. They say the whole of western philosophy is just a series of footnotes to the works of Plato. Likewise, I could argue that 20th century literature is a series of footnotes to the works of Kafka and Hamsun.

Here we have two writers whose novels describe the lives of the `meek victim.' Hamsun, in his amazing book "Hunger," follows the path of his unheroic `hero' - a vagabond who cannot feed himself, and so is driven mad by hunger. This inspired Kafka to write a couple brilliant novels: "The Trial," in which the protagonist is the victim of a veiled legal system stronger than himself; and, "The Castle," in which the `hero' is pushed like feeble plankton around in a society that is stronger than himself and malevolent towards his ambiguous interests. What follows Hamsun's and Kafka's examples are years of Modernist oeuvres that explore the condition of victimhood.

Now it is the 21st century and we are out of the shadows of our World Wars. We are no longer confused or frightened by the newness introduced into society by the Industrial Revolution. We are, as a society as a whole, in a position where we can be once again bold and strong, as life permits us to be - to choose happiness over suffering. This is the great message in Payne's "Cities & Countries." Just like in Kafka's and Hamsun's books, Payne's protagonist is a loner, a cast-away, thrown into this world to find his place in `the family of things.' But unlike the 20th century protagonists, Payne's character, `Alexis' is a heroic individual who chooses to succeed, to act boldly, and to have the consequence of his actions be a happy and meaningful life.

In response to any of Payne's couch-cushion-critics - these Nietzschean `Last Men' - who call his writing `self-indulgent,' or `egotistical,' I would suggest they peel themselves off of the bottom of the shoe of the last heavy century and come of age - into this lighter and happier time when writers can celebrate themselves - as did America's first great bard, Walt Whitman, in his own heroic age ("I celebrate myself, and sing myself" ["Leaves of Grass"]). This is what Payne is doing in "Cities & Countries" - he is celebrating himself as he sings a beautiful ode to a new heroic age in literature that he is helping to create. And it is a pleasure to watch and to read!

-Julie Pierce

Staff Editor, Literature Monthly

"Allow us our memories of that time we walked through the foreign city streets among strangers and madmen."

...So begins Cities & Countries, the second novel by American writer, Roman Payne. In a writing style filled with poetry and tenderness, the author brings us to meet Alexis, a young man who leaves his family to take to the road in hopes of becoming "a man of the world." His initial quest for the "Great City" gradually turns into a wandering across various cities and countries. Tossed about existence, Alexis comes to learn the hazards of life with its joys and griefs. His experiences and meetings drive him little by little to open up to others, to lose his illusions about the passage from childhood to manhood.

The book is a hymn to travel and escape. Not very surprising if we know a little about the personal life of the author (Payne left the USA at age twenty-two to travel across the world). It is hard to overlook some parallelisms between Payne and the character of Alexis. But beyond a show of personal experience, Payne unveils for us with talent, a universal theme that speaks to each one of us, as we all go through it: the search for self-discovery.

The universe of Roman Payne is rich and varied: Cities & Countries is above all an initiatory voyage, reminiscent of the lavish teachings of the great philosophical schools of antiquity. Each stage is one step closer to wisdom.

The author evolves his story in a world that alternates from episodes of cruel realism to atypical characters worthy of Alice's Wonderland. Thus, the long moments of dreams, the disappearance of notion of time and space; alternates with immersions in brutal, indeed violent, conditions - an image of life itself. Payne is above all a poet, and this is felt in every stylized page laced with sensitivity and lyricism. The impression is elsewhere amplified by the vivacity of the writing, the allegories, and the mythological references.

If the reader recognizes the multiple influences (notably Zola and the Brothers Grimm), one sees equally a style all his own. Certain scenes of the novel merit a place in the anthology of literature. Cities & Countries is destined to become in its right a great literary classic.

- Aurore Mosnier

This is a great book about coming of age, & I would recommend it to a young person in that stage of life, or an older person who has been through & remembers. It is poignent & gut-wrenching at times as well as touched with tongue-in-cheek humor of the hero's, at times, over confidence & ego. Payne has mastered the art of the seductive tease & it is hard to put down once started. The book is rich in detail, & historic reference, somewhat in the style of Michener. The war chronicles are an allusion to today's conflict & allow the reader to reflect on that in a new way other than the reporting by the press. The author has an instinct for knowing when to let go of the pain & move on to greener pastures.

I remember the feeling I had when I first read Kerouac's On The Road. The wild excitement of the road, the belief in escape, the idea that a physical journey could be about so much more than just the miles travelled. It was the first book which truly excited me, which led me to believe there was a world outside my own small town, a world which was waiting. Ten years on, and no book since has ever made me feel that kind of rabid belief and freedom. However, Cities & Countries is the first to come close.

Roman Payne's second novel is a classic coming-of-age story, the tale of a young boy named Alexis who leaves his hometown for the excitement of The Road. In this case, his Road is the fabled "Great City", although as with all such stories, it is not the destination we are concerned with so much as the journey taken to get there. And what a journey it turns out to be...

Alexis does indeed cover the cities and countries of the title, and more. He meets gypsies, vagabonds, criminals, noblemen, charlatans, opium smokers and, like Sal Paradise, finds himself frequently unable to resist the lure of beautiful women. Payne understands how to tug our emotions from the thrilling excitement of high adventure to the crushing brutality of poverty and despair, and throughout the novel Alexis is cast from one to the other mercilessly.

However, Alexis is not just a vessel used to advance a plot full of drama. In fact, it is his characterization I found the most exciting part of the book. In reacting to the challenges the world flings at him once he has abandoned the cosy comfort of home, Alexis becomes more sympathetic than the naive, wide-eyed optimist who first set out into the world. He develops and becomes in many ways more human: he grows up, he becomes a man.

The language Payne uses is full of details and lyricism, and many passages take on a dreamy, almost prose-poem quality. He is richly versed in allegory and mysticism, and utilizes these devices to great effect, particularly in the latter half of the novel. The book remains plot-driven however, and at no point sacrifices the story in favor of indulging the poetic elements. The lyrical elements are submerged throughout the tale itself, rather than having to jostle with it for space.

Cities & Countries is a bold, unafraid novel, both in scope and in execution. I would recommend it to anyone who wishes to remember how it feels to believe in the romance of the road, the freedom of the world, and the opportunities which lie ahead of us all.

Breath taking!!! i just finished this excellent book! It was a great pleasure to follow the young men's step all over the world in search of....! A superb ending!! three thumbs up!

Roman Payne spends so much time painting himself as a timeless romantic artist that any actual insight is drowned out by his ego. God, what a bore.