Customer Reviews

Questions for Ecclesiastes

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Mark Jarmon, firmly established poet and essayist, does not merely cement his reputation as a fine author with "Questions...," rather, he continues to build and press into deeper emotional territory. His poems, though at times profoundly sad, jarring or seemingly iconoclastic, express a strange and strikingly real sense of hope and calmness. Though a collection of poems dealing mainly with religion and God could easily become tiresome, Jarmon materfully crafts fascinating and deeply emotional poetry, his settings are reified, and the reader manages to gain the uncommon feeling of wholeness and triumph which accompanies the reading of great and momentous works of literature. This collection of poetry is no less than essential reading for anyone with even a passing interest in the art of verse.

Of the books of poems that I own, this is my favourite. Jarman's writing is clear, powerful and spiritual. He is not afraid to ask questions (nor to attempt to provide an answer and admit that it is inadequate). My own occupation makes the title poem (dealing with the suicide of a 14 year old girl and our response to it) particularly poignant. If you think about relationships, including a relationship with God, these poems are well worth reading.

I am a huge fan of Mark Jarman's work; and this book is incredible. I like the new and fresh ideas on how he sees God. He came to read at SMSU, and when he read the poem "Ground Swell" it was thrilling, b/c it's my favorite poem. Go get this book if you want a good read.

These are wonderful poems, which ask questions of God, questions about faith, questions about the workings of grace and what it means to be holy. Jarman manages to probe the paradoxes of faith in a deep but respectful way, without veering into either hostility, on the one hand, or an easy piety on the other. "Tranfiguration" is a superb exploration of what it means for Christ -- for anyone -- to be subject to the law and to suffering, and how one can be transfigured by resistance to that fate. "Questions for Ecclesiastes" is a devastating comment on how little consolation is provided by the Bible's "wisdom" in the face of real tragedy, in this case the suicide of a young girl. "And God . . . who could have shared what he knew with people who needed urgently to hear it, God kept a secret." Jarman uses the English language beautifully, incorporating the rhythms and cadences of the King James even when not overtly using the language. These are poems to savor and come back to again and again.

I had the honor of hearing Mr. Jarman read some of his poetry at Hillsdale College. This collection is a wonderful collection of poetry and I'm looking forward to reading more from him.

....I was disappointed. The "Unholy Sonnets" are excellent, quiet and low-keyed explorations of God and the human relationship to God. The poet rightly trusts his voice and skill. There are wonderful images that Jarman makes work well: " A useful God will roost in a bird-box, / Wedge-head thrust out, red-feathered in the sun." As a member of the new formalism school of poetry, Jarman succeeds in using form in a way that seems natural not forced. In an odd way, his skill with forms reminds me of Robert Frost.

Jarman is not limited by form - the title poem is a prose poem exploring the proper roles of parents and a stranger (preacher)sent to comfort them after their teenage daughter committed suicide. What would happen if the preacher "comforted" them with the theology of Ecclesiastes? Like the sonnets, this is an honest exploration of the tensions of faith in the modern world.

Unfortunately, while most of the remainder of the book shows the same skill, honesty and faith of these poems, the poems never "speak" to me - there is a formal distance in the writing that never pulls me into the world of the poetry nor resonates with my own world of humanity, poetry and faith. I was uninvolced even by beautiful poetry such as the fourth section of "The Past From the Air" which includes inspired lines: "And what God sees, if God sees anything, / Looks like the crawling colors on a bubble / ... / He sees a woman asking him to read / Her mind. He pities her. He cannot read."

this collection is a nice little collection of poems, but outside of the 20 unholy sonnets, nothing great. still, it's a nice collection from a contemporary poet.