The Five Quintets

by Micheal O'Siadhail

The Five Quintets is both poetry and cultural history. It offers a sustained reflection on modernity―people and movements―in poetic meter. Just as Dante, in his Divine Comedy , summed up the Middle Ages on the cusp of modernity, The Five Quintets takes stock of a late modern world on the cusp of the first-ever global century. Celebrated Irish poet Micheal O’Siadhail structures his Quintets to echo the Comedy . Where Dante had a tripartite structure ( Inferno , Purgatorio , and Paradiso ), O’Siadhail has a five-part structure, with each quintet devoted to a discipline―the arts; economics; politics; science; and philosophy and theology. Each quintet is also marked by a different sonnets interspersed by haikus ("saikus"), iambic pentameter, terza rima, and two other invented forms. The Five Quintets captivates even as it instructs, exploring the ever-changing flow of ideas and the individuals whose contributions elicited change and reflected their times. The artists, economists, politicians, scientists, and philosophers O’Siadhail features lived complex lives, often full of contradictions. Others, though deeply rooted in their context, transcended their time and place and pointed beyond themselves―even to us and to a time after modernity’s reign. The ancient Horace commended literature that delivered "profit with delight." In The Five Quintets , Micheal O’Siadhail has done just he delights us in the present with his artistry, even as he reveals hidden treasures of our past and compels us toward the future.

Genres: Poetry

381 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2018

Reviews

[Zach · Rating 4 out of 5]

The result of nine or so years of nearly consistent work, O’Siadhail has basically turned Charles Taylor’s A SECULAR AGE into a massive, masterful poem. Somehow, remarkably, despite its frequently esoteric subject matter, TFQ is a marvel of lucidity. A joy from start to finish. Just incredible.

[Paul Spencer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I feel like this is a generous 3-star review. The work is impressive, encapsulating so much time and development through history, covering many different thinkers. But I felt it was also a chore to get through.

Like 'Hamilton' (the parts I've seen/heard) it feels like O'Siadhail is "rapping" facts at us (which isn't great). It feels fairly superficial and kind of boring that way. But you also can tell that some his words are legitimately insightful. I didn't know a lot about many of the personages he covered, but those I was aware of seemed to be analyzed or reviewed well. And the themes/lines he draws out through the centuries are probably the best part.

Based on background, I should have adored the 'Arts' & 'Philosophy' quintets, but mostly found them tedious. To my surprise, I enjoyed 'Economics' and 'Politics' the most. It's hard to say why.

Based on the blurbs/endorsements printed in this book, it ought to be just about the best thing I've ever read. A President of Ireland. N.T. Wright. Jean Vanier. Justin Welby. Stanley Hauerwas. Seriously, that's a legit list. And I get it. But I definitely didn't love it.

[Robert · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.

[Gini · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a work as this that is so accessible to someone like me has no rival.

[Jeremy]

Praised by David Lyle Jeffrey in Christianity & Literature. Described by one reviewer as Charles Taylor's A Secular Age in poetry.