The City of Dreadful Night [Paperback]

James Thomson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 2004

A demon warder clutched me, Not so fast; First leave your hopes behind!--But years have passed Since I left all behind me, to the last: You cannot count for hope, with all your wit, This bleak despair that drives me to the Pit: How could I seek to enter void of it?

Product Details

• Paperback: 48 pages
• Publisher: Kessinger Publishing (June 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1419156853
• ISBN-13: 978-1419156854
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 7.6 x 0.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #5,414,816 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Light-years past any rational concept of despair..., July 10, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Boise, Idaho) - See all my reviews

This review is from: City of Dreadful Night (Canongate Classic) (Paperback)

Thomson's "Dreadful Night" is the most pessimistic rendering of post-mortal existance I have ever encountered. The imagery of the city goes past the typical Victorian concept of hell. Thomson's tortured psyche creates a world where all hopes, heavenly aspirations, and chances for redemption are dead. Thomson depicts very little malevolence, zero benevolence, only complete emptiness in "Dreadful Night." The only redemption is for the soul to cease to exist - a final release from anguish. The suffering of the soul, as shown by Thomson, is private, all-consuming, and eternal. One reads Thomson as one reads Poe - the strength of the work lies with the imagery. In this sense, Thompson's vision of life after death is stark and terrifying. After reading "Dreadful Night" straight through, I recommend reading Whitman's "Song of Myself" several times to fully recover. Seriously...

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The spheres eternal are a grand illusion, March 4, 2004

By 

"sfoster29" - See all my reviews

This review is from: City of Dreadful Night (Canongate Classic) (Paperback)

I read this masterpiece years ago and was quite blown away by it. I have had plenty of time to recover from the overwhelming mood and philosophy of it. I do not feel that life is as the poet portrays it, but he lived a tragic life which included the death of the woman he loved ("the lady of the images"), and there was no way that he was going to see life differently. I recommend this poem to all poetry lovers, regardless of their attitude about life, simply because it is wonderfully written.

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Beware of the Kessinger edition, July 22, 2005

By 

Phutatorius "phutatorius" (Michigan) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The City of Dreadful Night (Paperback)

This review refers to the Kessinger edition only. The Kessinger edition provides only the text of the poem - no introduction, not even any cover art. In other words you can get the same thing legally & for free by downloading it from a site like the Guttenburg Project. I prefer the Cannongate Classics edition, which has a good introduction and some nice artwork, although you may need to find a used copy.