Longitudes: Selected poems [Mass Market Paperback]

John Birkbeck (Author), Janice Phelps (Author)

Product Details

• Mass Market Paperback: 64 pages
• Publisher: Carmine Creek Press (1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0967175712
• ISBN-13: 978-0967175713
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,698,890 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This poet should be a Russian novelist!, October 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Longitudes: Selected poems (Mass Market Paperback)

I relive shivering sleepless nights on the frosty steppes of Central Asia, longing for the warmth and fellowship of a better place and time. Reading Birkbeck's poems almost takes me there! His poem, "Nazi Princess", makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Something's going on!, November 19, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Longitudes: Selected poems (Mass Market Paperback)

You're walking down the richly-appointed hallway of a luxurious Florntine palace, basking in stupefied wonder and awe of your surroundings. Suddenly, one if the lavish tapestries is yanked away and you're left looking at what's really there-- curious water marks on the wallpaper. That's what reading Birkbeck's poems is like; the yanking away of apparent reality, and the glimpse underneath of the virtual reality. This poet is a magician!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is he a loosely-wrapped lunatic?, November 6, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Longitudes: Selected poems (Mass Market Paperback)

I use the word "Lunatic" in a flattering way, of course, when I deal with John Birkbeck's poems. His references to the moon are quite cryptic and laden with spooky mystery. Just as in the body of his work, one dangles between humour and horror. Many of his poems are a sort of wake-up call for those of us who walk on the thin ice of the reality of the inner life.