Glyphic

by Ralph-Michael Chiaia

Glyphic is a humble epic poem, a novella in verse told in ten separate parts that hold together like a tapestry or the pop mats of the Mayan World. It follows an American guy living in Mexico and Guatemala in the late 90s when one country was recovering from years and years of civil war and the other had just suffered two massacres of the indigenous Mayan population. The novella examines time, reality, imperialism, rebellion, and loyalty as the main character moves through beautiful places and relationships and finds out who he is and how the world works behind the scenes. It is a tale of catharsis and rejuvenation in which he must chose either to fight the revolution or marry the fiancee. It is a difficult book that takes on difficult topics.

118 pages, Paperback

First published November 7, 2013

About the author

Previous to running a bar in Seoul I was a florist, a barista, and a journalist.

You can find out more about me at www.rmchiaia.com or at my blog www.ralphadelic.blogspot.com

Reviews

[Lindsay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never feel qualified to review poetry even though I've had poetry classes and have written some myself. I'll try to give it a shot though.

The themes in Glyphic are Mayan seen through an American's eyes. There is so much Maya philosophy in it that I wouldn't have understood any of it if I hadn't previously studied some Mesoamerican mythology. I'd say that's the only downfall to the book - not everyone will be able to understand some of those themes.

I especially liked "Part 10: What is I?" with its ideas of the fluidity of time. I also thought the emails at the end gave a nice background for the rest of the book.

Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book through First Reads.

[Danika · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you to Ralph-Michael Chiaia for the free copy of this novella, and apologies for the obscenely long wait for a review! I've just finished my (very tough) final semester of uni and should have far more free time now to devote to perusal of the literary arts.

I had high expectations for this novella, which is perhaps why I came away so conflicted. On the one hand, Chiaia is brazen and intelligent, using plain words rather than hiding behind unnecessary eloquence and consistently referencing literary stars from Toni Morrison to Kafka. On the other hand, the loose free verse stylization that I assume is meant to mimic traditional Mayan language and storytelling is a little too loose, and I spent the majority of my reading time trying to sort the words into something my brain could hang on to, if not fully understand, and I still came away with only a gist of an idea about the contents.

If free associations or abstractions are your thing, or if you're looking for a quick and insightful cultural read, you may enjoy "Glyphic". Otherwise, you're not missing out if you don't add this one to your reading list.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

All the books I've ever read in my life were pretty much novels, novellas and children's books, but not once have I ever read " A novella in verse". When I first got this novella in verse, I wasn't quite sure if I would like it since I am new to this type of book. I now finished it and I can really say that I liked it a lot, I didn't love it because of course although it was really well written, I am more interested in books that are not "poem-y". I was really good and I would suggest it to anyone who is up for a little change in the books they read!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Glyphic is a book about a young man who travels to mexico and guatelmala. It is writtin in poetry format. I really enjoyed this book. There were some parts that were just awesome. I would def reccomend others read this book as well.

[Jina Bae · Rating 5 out of 5]

There are some great ideas and imageries that anchor the story. Personally I liked the very first verse, the "time defining verse" and the last "Kafka verse." It was relatively a quick read and I enjoyed it a lot.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book through the goodreads first reads program. Having been to Guatemala and Southern Mexico a few times myself reading this brought back places and people. I am not usually a fan of poetry or prose, but these were well written and easily deciferable

[Christian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book in the giveaways and just received it yesterday in the mail. I have to say that I have always found poetry to be quite interesting and fun to read. This book did not disappoint and was well written.

[Caroline · Rating 3 out of 5]

I won this little novel from Goodreads give away from the author Ralph-Michael Chiaia. It was a different type of read for me. It helped to understand the trials and tribulations of the travels throughout Asia. Thanks for the read, I will pass the book along to someone else.

[Anastasia · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was a quick, but difficult read. lovely cover, but novella felt plain and a bit boring. would not want to read it again..