An Anthem For The Dreaming Lost: Poetry and prose on meaning, wonder, romance and imagination

by Samuel Hurley

Genres: Poetry

240 pages, Hardcover

Published July 28, 2024

Reviews

[Rehan Qayoom · Rating 5 out of 5]

By my so potent Art. But this rough Magicke
I heere abjure: and when I have requir'd
Some heavenly Musicke (which even now I do)
To worke mine end upon their Sences, that
This Ayrie charme is for, I'le breake my staffe,
Bury it certaine fadomes in the earth,
And deeper then did ever Plummet sound
Ile drowne my booke.

(William Shakespeare, ‘The Tempest’).

Here is a distinct voice, away from the sloppy gibberish and maddening gobbledegook that is contemporary poetry. There is no comparison between Hurley’s poetry and the slinking nihilism that Auden predicted we would end up in. This poetry is Pan’s pipe-music that brings us back to the joys of life and its possessions, reuniting with the earth truths we choose to deny ourselves. Be in no doubt that your illusions would be broken when Rumi’s reed flute replaces Pan’s pipe and tells of the grounded realities of existence and then as in the Sylvia Plath poem ‘The Rabbit Catcher’ there is ‘only one place to get to. / Simmering, perfumed, / The paths narrowed into the hollow’. A body, as tongue, a body as earth in ‘Between Your Lovely Valley’:

Sometimes,
(too often) I name flowers
after your other men,
and cut their stems.

(’Jerusalem’).

man is always at a window
- a witness to beauty
I know why a poem
is never finished
It wants to move like
this – it wants in

(‘A Poem Tries to Imitate’).

Am I sometimes strange to touch?
Am I sometimes difficult to love?
I think I am.

(‘Upon a Gutter Staring’).

There aren’t many books of poetry that would go so deep as to cause their reader to break down (and not just the once). Proof that poetry can hurt as a well as heal and make stones cry and the very poems that hurt will heal too and heel better if one gets the allusions to other poets of the past:

There’s a crack in everything.
That’s how the light gets in.

(Leonard Cohen, ‘Anthem’).

[C · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are poems I would read over and over. Poems that remind me of me writing as a kid or an adult or studying romanticism - maybe sometimes shakespearish or a bit Wordsworth or a touch more Rossetti - all my favorites - and always full of wonder for times comic paradise… it is him, but it is also somehow the journey we take in reading them. It becomes us too. Brilliant book. Brilliant poet. Great for a walk in the woods or sitting by a river.

[Doreen O'Brien · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a wonderful book written by a very talented poet. If you do not like to read poetry, best stay away! He's masterful in the way he bends and molds the English language to fit into the landscape of his sometimes-haunted world. If you enjoy linguistics, you will enjoy this book.

[Livvi Beb · Rating 5 out of 5]

flawless

[Holly Ducarte · Rating 5 out of 5]

In a word, this poetry book is a triumph. I especially loved the vignettes from Samuel’s life. How meaningful and heart wrenching and equally beautiful. The intimacy of the poetry, the way it permeates and stays with the reader is a wonderful escapism. As personal as some poetry can be, I found myself relating to so much inside this collection. It’s even a testament to humanity and the connections we share. The rich descriptions, the flow of the writing, the depth of this…a highly recommended read whether you think you like poetry or not. You will, I promise you.

Thanks for gifting me this, Sam. Keep writing! The world needs your words.

[H.A. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most incredible collection of poetry. So beautiful lyrical and heartfelt. Moving to the point of tears. I felt a genuine emotional connection with these words and I know I will read them over again and again. Powerful words. I feel so grateful and blown away by them I am glad to be alive and part of this world. I can’t get enough! Music to my ears!

[Barbara Lennox · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wonderful collection that I read and re-read, finding something new on each reading. Some arresting imagery that takes you deep into the dangerous and desirable landscapes of memory. A collection of lost things told in a smoky northern voice that's worth looking out for.

[Brittany Johnston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Samuel Hurley is a master of imagery. This book of poems has stayed with me long after I finished reading it.

[Carla Atherton · Rating 5 out of 5]

My absolute favourite contemporary poet!!

[J. Střelou · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful collection of poetry. Sam weaves stories from his life, crafting words that capture the beauty, sadness, and preciousness of this fleeting existence in a deeply relatable way. His work is rich in imagery, reminding me of great, long-gone poets like John Keats. I highly recommend this book!