The Death of Sardanapalus and Other Poems of the Iraq Wars [Paperback]

David Ray (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 30, 2004

The Death of Sardanapalus uniquely brings together impassioned works of insight, hope, and defiance covering the breadth and dark depths of "Operation Iraqi Freedom," and "Operation Desert Storm" through a sequence of poems beginning with the devastation of 9/11. Written during the first nightmare term of George W. Bush, up to the election of 2004, these poems speak truth to power and illuminate the major political and military indiscriminations, blunders, lies, and hoaxes of Bush's "War on Terror." The Death of Sardanapalus is a work of political expose, heartfelt opposition to a tragic, avoidable leap into the atrocities of an illegal war, and offers Ray's own grief and artistic compassion toward the betrayed muse of history, whose scorched pages overflow with the blood, suffering, and anguish of countless innocent victims. Ray has produced a literary litany and lament of such lasting clarity and poignancy as to bring tears to the eyes of those dead who gave their lives and give them daily that the intrinsic truth and humanity of our species--set on peace and brotherhood, not on war and division-- should always prevail. Selected from literally hundreds of Ray's poems written daily over a period of corrupt national policy and decision-making throughout 2000-2004, The Death of Sardanapalus my well stand to posterity as a cultural landmark of such illuminative courage that it will continue to speak truth to power for generations to come. The Death of Sardanapalus is a work of rare force, truth and beauty, a model of achievement for poets of today, a tribute to brave bards of the past, and a legacy for the future of literature. Many of the poems have been translated into the Spanish by poet Lilvia Soto, while the artwork of Delacroix (The Death of Sardanapalus) and Mike Romoth (Sardanapalus in Guernica) collaboratively emphasizes the depth of tragedy brought forth by the poems. This book belongs in every public library, every classroom--grade school to university level, inclusive--and in all collections of freedom-loving people of every nation. It is as profoundly opposed to the corruptive tyranny of government as are the works of Chinua Achebe, Dennis Brutus, Paul Celan, Anna Akhmatova, Yevtushenko, and Hiyam Bialik, but its setting is America, and this new millennium.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A relentless book infused with enlightenment, knowing we have chosen the barbarians within as our masters. Powerful and necessary poetry." -- William Heyen, poet, November 2004

"In a time of imperial wars abroad, religious wars at home, these eloquent meditations speak hope and work for change." -- Anselm Hollo, poet, October 2004

"There is nothing like this book in American poetry today; every poem cries out against the barbaric cruelties of war." -- F.D. Reeve, literary scholar, October 2004

About the Author

David Ray's books include "Sam's Book," "Wool Highways," "Demons in the Diner," "The Maharani's New Wall," "Not Far From the River," "The Endless Search," a memoir, and "One Thousand Years," poems of the Holocaust. David Ray has edited numerous anthologies, and during his tenure as executive editor of "New Letters" magazine, he dramatically expanded the scope and reach of the publication, while also launching the world-renowned radio broadcast "New Letters on the Air."

Even before publication of Ray's first book, "X-Rays," William Carlos Williams praised his work as "the best thing that's come out of any English department in fifty years." David Ray is the only poet to have won the prestigious William Carlos Williams Award twice, and has won many other awards for fiction, poetry, and essays. With Robert Bly, David co-founded American Writers Against the Vietnam War in 1966 and they co-edited the famous "A Poetry Reading Against the Vietnam War," a collection of relevant readings from the classics as well as contemporary sources. David continues to develop new careers for younger poets, and all those who aspire to "speak truth to power."

Product Details

• Paperback: 240 pages
• Publisher: Howling Dog Press; First Edition edition (November 30, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1882863550
• ISBN-13: 978-1882863556
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,092,061 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful book, inside and out...., April 11, 2005

By 

Laurel Johnson (Kansas USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Death of Sardanapalus and Other Poems of the Iraq Wars (Paperback)

Early reviews of this book extol David Ray's poetry. Among the accolades are: "relentlessly devastating"; "the master work"; "a visionary blessing"; and "exquisitely beautiful." The Death of Sardanapalus goes far beyond those words of praise. From the breathtaking cover and art work to David Ray's words, the entire presentation is of the highest quality. As a reviewer, I must struggle to do this fine work justice.

From ancient times, when Persians, Greeks, and Romans plagued the world with wars, poetic voices have been raised in protest. It requires as much courage to protest as it does to take up arms. Through the ages, dissenters have been shunned, persecuted, or killed in an attempt to silence them. Each war to end all war is made to seem heroic and patriotic by those in power at the time. David Ray looks to past wars and long dead civilizations, drawing disturbing correlations to the powers waging war today. He does not spare himself or readers the lingering sorrow and horror of 9/11. Nor does he sidestep the sticky politics involved with the Iraqui wars. You'll find no politically correct drivel here. This poet shines a penetrating light on smokescreens and enlightens as he educates. It shocked me to comprehend, for example, that what our political powers call "collateral damage" today was labeled ethnic cleansing in the days of Hitler and Stalin:
Although I know it is naive, perverse, and infantile,
I cannot stop thinking of the children of Baghdad
who will soon be dealt with as if they are no more
than dust of the street, clay figurines to be shattered.

The crux of our present deterioration within America's boundaries can be boiled down to its essence in one poem, titled "Congress":
A few good women
spoke up
and a few good men.

The others voted
Gung-ho for war.
And then gave more

billions every time
they were asked although
we cannot afford

such luxuries as
health care, clean air,
or voting machines

that will guarantee
an honest election --
the last thing desired

in our unique democracy.

Weapons of mass destruction haunt our world and this poet's thoughts. Americans watch the news for warning signs that air or water have been targeted by terrorists. Meanwhile, in "WMDS Anew", David Ray presents a view that many of us may have missed:
On the freight siding
the cars of DuPont and Dow
stand ready to serve.

Tax paying citizens, going about their daily lives, have responsibilities too. Regrettably, America lost her innocence long before 9/11. Ray makes that clear in this excerpt from "A Vision Emergency:
.....Peasants are fleeing
our planes, and we who fund a war

machine, even the gentlest among us,
are no longer the good people even

in our own eyes. Fear gathers around
towns and cities all over the earth

and we are what is feared, as Rome
once was.....

It's been said that poetry is man's way of expressing the inexpressible. In The Death of Sardanapalus, David Ray weaves the inexpressible into every word, each poem, clearly and without the usual disguises. His work is shocking, thought provoking and sad because he has not given up on hope. Not entirely. He still hopes poetry can make a difference.
We looked forward to a clean millennium,
free of murder. But imagine our naievete!

Yet I praise our futile efforts, our going down
with our words the way soldiers fall in battles.

My compliments to David Ray and Howling Dog Press for this amazing book. If there is any justice left in the world, it will be a modern classic.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An impassioned, no-holds-barred critique, March 8, 2005

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Sardanapalus and Other Poems of the Iraq Wars (Paperback)

The Death of Sardanapalus & Other Poems of the Iraq Wars is an impassioned, no-holds-barred critique written during the first term of President George W. Bush up to the election of 2004. Vividly exposing the blunders, the pandering to military and corporate wants, and the hoaxes that fueled Bush's "war on terrorism" in Iraq, these free-verse poems are as eloquent as they are biting. A fierce and passionate indictment of the war and every disgrace American has committed within it. "Deja Vu": This leader is a very special head of state. / He can detain anyone he wants, / need give no explanation or say / where these people have disappeared to / or whether they will ever be released / or whether they are still alive. // His name, you might say, was Joseph Stalin. / His name, you might say, was Saddam Hussein. / But you would be living in the past, / back when habeas corpus did not mean / you may recover the corpse when we're done it.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautiful to see and read, June 19, 2006

By 

Diana Roane (Kentucky) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Death of Sardanapalus and Other Poems of the Iraq Wars (Paperback)

This is my first review of any book, and I do not feel qualified to make one, except to say that I agree with L. A. Johnson, but she is a wonderful writer also, and I am only a good reader. This world needs both of us. I am certain there are many of us out here that enjoy the truths this book puts forth, and I only hope readers will not be put off by the _one_ negative review. He surely did not read the same book as I.