Customer Reviews

Storage Space: A Collection of Contemporary Poetry

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

 

 

Darren Stein's new collection of verse is a poetic masterpiece for the modern reader. Published by Xlibris, "Storage Space: A collection of contemporary poetry", offers a fascinating insight into Stein's journey through the last seventeen years of his life. Travelling backwards through time, Stein transports us through his experiences as a human rights activist working in the dieing stages of Apartheid South Africa. We witness the pain and loss of his close friends as well as the debilitating terror of Post-Traumatic-Stress-Disorder. We then observe the hopeful tale of immigration and marriage, as well as the joyful humour of parenthood and all of the other little foibles that are common to us all. Stein offers an honest, humorous and insightful exposition in all that he surveys. His style is simple, but not simplistic, and will offer something to everyone no matter what their literary appetite. Buy it for someone you love.

I don't normally enjoy poetry, but after my brother-in-law gave me "Storage Space" as a gift, I was delighted he had. Stein's perception of the bitter-sweet irony of life and the humor with which he describes it, is both entertaining and moving. I thoroughly recommend the book and can't wait to read his next one.Storage Space

American poet, John Lehman, at[..] writes: It's unusual for the first poem in a collection to be the title of the book. Usually the poet saves that for three-quarters of the way through as a kind of vindication for what has been included, but in this case it is perfect. "We all need a little space store the things we treasure..." the poet says, whether they are valuable or we just "lack the heart to throw (them) away." The pieces I love best are those that reveal the relationships, memories hopes and dreams that make up the poet's life. Does that make them profound, or even relevant to the reader? Not necessarily. Stein says on the back of the book, "Poetry is irrelevant; it has no effect on the world around us, and were it to disappear, hardly anyone would notice. This does not, however, mean that poetry is untrue, for what we have learnt is that the truth itself is often, also irrelevant."
Two poems I particularly recommend are "Toy Cars and Immortality" in which the poet watches his son play with toy cars as his father watched him do the same; and "The Curse of the Ordinary": "When should we realize that our poems--our novels-- / will never be published or that our paintings will / never be displayed-- / our self-assured genius unread, unseen, / and unappreciated. / When will we stop sending entries into contests, / or letters to publishers? When do we come to / terms with the fact that we are just a teacher, / just a husband, just a father; and that is all that / we will ever be."

These, and others of similar quality, are in the first half of the book. Those in the second tend to generalize and be more reaching, and I believe they are less successful. As Darren Stein says himself "In Passing I Said to Rikki" "the truth is made of simpler stuff." So when I read poems like "Lost" or "Mists" I want specifics. I want to experience the feeling of being lost, or close my eyes and see the face that haunts the writer, not understand the poems' themes. I don't like poems that end in "Why?" such as "Here and Now--Now and Then" or shaped poetry like "An African Picture Postcard" (though that may be a matter of individual taste). And some poems have both wonderful lines and those that clunk: "We carry with us rooms of ghosts-- (from "A Fear of Ghosts and Distance," what a fantastic title) is followed half way down the same poem by "Will we always hide behind this mask of words..." (which seems to me terribly clichéd).

Often when I read a book of poetry I dog-leg pages I want to come back to. For one reason or another I have dog-legged more than half this book. Don't worry Darren, your poems will be read and re-read. You are not ordinary.

Original review can be viewed at: [..]

As one of Stein's ex students and a qualified teacher myself, I am well aware of his writing talents, creativity, and charismatic personality. All of Stein's talents are rolled into this collection of contemporary poetry, allowing us to enjoy and empathise with his life experiences. Stein was an inspirational teacher, is an inspirational person, and I only hope that you are inspired by his work. I think this book is worthy of anybody's bookshelf, and discussion in the classroom.Storage Space