Hydrologos

by Warren Heiti, Jan Zwicky

Hydrologos is one long poem composed in five suites and a coda, and spoken through masks. It is a poem about a specific passion, the one that always follows love: sorrow. At the poem's centre is the original lyric elegy, the myth of Orpheus, but re-imagined from the perspective of Eurydike. What happens to a human being under the geologic pressure of passion? -- One calls out, and the world's response is silence. The work of sorrowing, one learns, is the work -- the endless work -- of listening, by which the listener is changed.

Genres: Poetry

109 pages, Paperback

First published October 28, 2011

About the author

Warren Heiti lives in Halifax, where he has taught at Dalhousie University and St. Mary’s University. He is currently a teaching fellow at the University of King’s College. He is the author of Hydrologos (2011).

Reviews

[Margaryta · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Hydrologos” is just what I needed to read within these past couple of days. It gave me the kind of rich, emotional experience that I was seeking, to guide me through daily life but also to transcend it. It was mesmerizing in its wording, jumping from the magical and familiar to Sallie Chisum at the time of the Lincoln County War, later going back to the Greek mythos and right after that returning back to modern day. And yet, despite all the jumping around on the time line, “Hydrologos” maintains its integrity and well-executed emotional enchantment. This was best summarized by the very last phrase in the last poem of the collection: “From the kitchen,/ that familiar resonance,/ tap water striking teakettle.” You know something’s up when an image you’re familiar with on a daily basis sends tremors up your spine and makes you want to run and perform that very same action, to see if reality will elicit this very same reaction. “Hydrologos” is a modern-day masterpiece in a category of its own.

[Beth Follett · Rating 5 out of 5]

You will wait a long time for another debut as good as this one.

I will always be currently reading Hydrologos.

And good news for Warren will soon be announced! Stay tuned.

[Liz · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lot of poetry books really aren't worth the exorbitant prices. This one is. I love Warren Heiti.