Imaginary Maps

by Darrell Epp

In his startling debut collection, Darrell Epp brings us a city haunted by monsters and movie stars, where hope and rage, sacred and carnal, mundane and surreal are uneasy neighbours. A city whose downtown swells with pleasures and pains too big for words, and where every dead end is suffused with an unbidden kindness, "an accidental choreography." Imaginary Maps is as funny as it is sad, as entertaining as it is insightful. Terse or lyrical, his lines are always fresh, always surprising. Behind the jokes, behind the jilted lovers, werewolves, and dead celebrities lurks a deadly serious slowing down time in a culture obsessed with speeding it up. Savouring the precious, temporary/eternal moments, Epp reminds us that not paying attention may be the biggest crime of all.

Genres: Poetry

112 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2009

About the author

author of imaginary maps (2009), after hours (2016)

Reviews

[Steven · Rating 5 out of 5]

The poems are full of familiar yet indescribable images, inviting me to complement the images from personal experiences. Difficult to predict how anyone will perceive this collection of poems, as even my view of some favorite lines has changed with a second reading. I enjoy this collection a lot, even if I don’t quite know why.

[Luisa · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just recently rediscovered poetry, either writing my own and reading that of others. I liked Imaginary maps, it was very descriptive and wide ranging. Yes I would recommend this book to others regardless if they are new to the genre or rediscovering it, as well as those that enjoy good prose and poems. Its also great to discover great Canadian poetic talent.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a small book of poems from Darrell Epp. Some of them are way out there, while others read more like funny anecdotes. I really enjoyed the one titled Comparatively Speaking "an idea as bright as that time you took a hair dryer to jupiter: just where exactly did you think you were going to plug it in?" Brilliant.

While poetry isn't my thing, I do enjoy reading it from time to time just to give the brain a change of pace, and Darrell Epp's poems do that for me.

I received this book for free through Goodreads First-Reads.