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INVENTION OF SECRECY
In The Invention of Secrecy, his eleventh collection of poetry, David Citino searches near and far -- in his native Ohio, illuminated suddenly by a cosmic messenger; in Italy and Egypt, ancient and new; in Tibet; even in prehistoric and preliterary times -- seeking answers to the most human questions: What did we reverence in the past? What are our present obsessions? What does it mean to read one another? Must we always speak in our parents' voices?The underlying concern of these poems is the very notion of secrecy, and in his explorations Citino investigates the lives, and credentials, of our saints -- both secular and otherworldly. Ramses the Great, the prophet Hosea, the Roman emperor Vespasian, Caravaggio, the Wicked Witch of the West, Padre Pio, Mario Lanza, and Princess Diana are among the larger-than-life personages materializing on these pages. Continually in these poems, the past is read by light of the present and the present from perspectives of the past.Accessible yet ambitious, and treating all of history as the concern of those living today, these poems seek to measure the span of our lives and the distance that separates one life from another.
- GenresPoetry
76 pages, Paperback
First published April 6, 2001
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February 1, 2016
This is a collection of poetry that is worth tracking down and owning so that you can revisit some of the poems again and again. David Citino, who was a professor at The Ohio State University, wrote a collection that captures (in a very accessible way) what it is to be human. Their relevance will only continue to grow as the reader experiences more and more of life.
This collection of 41 poems is divided into four parts, and although I don't necessarily think that the collection sticks to one theme, per se, many of the pieces are reflective in tone, and look at past events from the perspective of the persona's current circumstances. Many of the poems deal with aging, and the wisdom (or just simple knowledge) that comes with advancing years and as a reader in my early thirties I can tell you that Mr. Citino writes in a manner that speaks to both the young and the old.
This leads me to my next point, that being that this collection is one that is not obscure in its themes, or difficult in its language and style. The poems are simplistic in format and easily accessible in their use of the language, and thus they are something that a much larger audience than the typical "reader of poetry" can find worth and solace in. Good writing is only as valuable in as much as it can be understood and appreciated by average readers. "The Invention of Secrecy" is a poetry collection that does just that!
This collection of 41 poems is divided into four parts, and although I don't necessarily think that the collection sticks to one theme, per se, many of the pieces are reflective in tone, and look at past events from the perspective of the persona's current circumstances. Many of the poems deal with aging, and the wisdom (or just simple knowledge) that comes with advancing years and as a reader in my early thirties I can tell you that Mr. Citino writes in a manner that speaks to both the young and the old.
This leads me to my next point, that being that this collection is one that is not obscure in its themes, or difficult in its language and style. The poems are simplistic in format and easily accessible in their use of the language, and thus they are something that a much larger audience than the typical "reader of poetry" can find worth and solace in. Good writing is only as valuable in as much as it can be understood and appreciated by average readers. "The Invention of Secrecy" is a poetry collection that does just that!
Displaying 1 of 1 review