Erotikon: Poems

by Susan Mitchell

How do we discover our deepest desires, those that at once elude and define us? And is it in the discovery--indeed, the realization--of such desires that we finally encounter our essential selves? Erotikon, Susan Mitchell's astounding new collection, invites us to examine, in shattering detail, the anatomy of pleasure. Sexual appetite--voracious and violent, delicate and lingering--is the pathway to discovery, not just of the self, but of the vast world to which we are connected. Mitchell wants to be shattered, smashed, broken by passion, not for the sake of annihilation, but rather its Only in so breaking do we allow for the possibility of true communion--with other people, with sensual experience, with the world's redeeming spirit. In Erotikon Mitchell imagines an existence devoid of "Sometimes I think this, our life on earth, is an egg to break out of. I am claustrophobic. " It is when we are least recognizably ourselves--moved beyond such familiars as gender, names, our human bodies--that we are most primal and burgeoning, poised for an engagement so complete it has the power to transform. In this collection Mitchell is at her most assured and Her lyrics balance the intimate candor for which her work is known with both erudite authority and mischief. Drawing the reader like a lover as though through the natural rhythms of lovemaking--from seduction to surrender to symbiosis-- Erotikon is a paean to the communion we long for, and sometimes experience, in our lives on earth.

Genres: Poetry

Hardcover

First published February 16, 2000

Reviews

[Jenny (Reading Envy) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I tried reading this once before, and set it aside, but couldn't remember why. I have had it on my shelf at home for years.

There are sensual words and thoughts, and then there are these poems. I'm not opposed to sexual content in poetry (see other poetry review written today!) but I just didn't think these worked. Too self aware, too clever... I really wish I thought the pussy willow poem was just about pussy willows.

I didn't read this all that closely, not my thing, will give this away.

Happy National Poetry Month, where not every book of poems will work for every reader!

[James Murphy · Rating 3 out of 5]

A reread, I didn't like it any more than the previous read. Mitchell writes about classical themes, her poetry rooted in the smokey and brutish and not the lyric. In these poems is the anxious atmosphere of the cave at Delphi. You long to walk outside in the blue air where maids gambol and someone is trilling a pipe.

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

In energetic, luscious language, Mitchell is able to describe with unabashed candor our deepest desires in a rush and cascade of images that leaves the reader delighted and breathless. Always thoughtful and often playful, her prodigious imagination enlivens traditional Greek mythology and philosophy on the question of whether our capacity to develop our soul is rooted in the erotic.

[Abigail Clark · Rating 1 out of 5]

With a name like Erotikon, I was expecting something to be more sensual. The book description begins with "How do we discover our deepest desires, those that at once elude and define us?" After finishing the short poetry collection, I was not left with an answer nor an increased desire.

This was my first time reading anything of Susan Mitchell's and I have heard rave reviews of her work, which is why I was excited when I found this, but I didn't enjoy it as much as I hoped.

I find it's hard to get in to long poems unless there is a strong narrative, and most of the 78 pg. collection was two poems that seemed to go on. Most of my struggle with the book was from page layout. I would think a poem would be done because there would be half of an empty page,and then I'd turn the page and the poem isn't over. It was more confusing than a nice surprise.

I did enjoy Mitchell's "Venice" though. It had beautiful imagery, and reminded me of my time spent there.

[Brendan · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lot of references to Greek mythology. She likes to leave sentences unfinished and use adjectives without their nouns. The collection is dominated by the 24-page title poem and the 14-page "Bird: A Memoir". I did not find a complete piece noteworthy, though there are some good fragments.

Of my childhood this remains. A casino by the sea. Inordinate desire.
- "Bird: A Memoir"

It was around that time that I began to collect. At first, things that never happened. Then distinctions that seemed out of control.
- "Erotikon"

The purpose of beauty is to wash a bitter taste from the eyes.
- "Erotikon"

[Courtney LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

This collection of poetry is, according to the back cover description, about sexual desires. Unfortunately, I felt nothing but lost as I read these poems. The first section, which is a long prose/memoir section felt like it rambled and the poems in later sections felt like they were trying very hard to be clever but for me, they missed the mark.

from Bird: A Memoir: "Confession is not / the same as intimacy. And language does not open / the territory. More like a bird calling, always up ahead, / yearning me deeper in. Here is a riddle for you, / unheimlicher bird. What is so strange / it feels like home? It calls. I follow."

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

You know when you're reading a book and you get halfway through it and realize that you will most definitely have to read it again in order to fully understand and appreciate what is going on? Well, yeah, this book is one of those. I do not understand what happened, but I can tell you it is in fact erotic (can't pinpoint why, but I know it when I see it) and uses very cool language. Will update later when I get around to reading it again.

[Juli Anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Weirder than I remember, but delightfully so. These poems are sensual and playful; they oscillate between reverence and irreverence. Mitchell is most notable for her elaborate wordplay, which I would say works for her about 90% of the time. The 10% awkward misses, however, give this book a little charm. The title poem, in particular, is stunning.

[hh · Rating 2 out of 5]

i don't really know how i feel about this book. Middling.

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Huge rushes of language play and mythic references that delight and challenge.