Fancy Beasts

by Alex Lemon

California wildfires, the 2008 election, plastic surgery, Larry Craig, wildfires, Wal-Mart, and rampant commercialism—in Fancy Beasts , Alex Lemon takes on American media culture, the obscene foil for personal legacies of violence and violation. The poems of this collection are a vigorous and raw, frenetic and fearless. Yet they are also composed and controlled, pared down and sculpted, with a disarming narrative simplicity and directness. Even when dealing with toxic content—including the turning point in a life of abuse, in which the recovering victim/perpetrator puzzles through the paradigm of son-to-husband-to-father—Lemon’s point of view is always genuine and trustworthy. A frank, funny, and inimitably frenetic vision of post-millennial America, Fancy Beasts is a stunning achievement from Alex Lemon.

Genres: Poetry

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

Alex Lemon's poetry collections include Hallelujah Blackout (2008 Milkweed Editions) and Mosquito (Tin House Books 2006). A memoir is also forthcoming from Scribner. His poems have appeared or are forthcoming in numerous magazines including AGNI, BOMB, Denver Quarterly Gulf Coast, Kenyon Review, New England Review, Pleiades and Tin House. Among his awards are a 2005 Literature Fellowship in Poetry from the National Endowment for the Arts and a 2006 Minnesota Arts Board Grant. He is the co-editor of LUNA: A Journal of Poetry and Translation and is a frequent contributor to The Bloomsbury Review. He teaches in the English Department at TCU in Fort Worth, TX.

Reviews

[Patricia N. McLaughlin · Rating 3 out of 5]

As Tracy K. Smith has observed, “these poems will cough in your face and sing in your ear,” or more often than not, baffle and bewilder. That said, “Verde Vista” is a mighty fine piece of poetry. A knockout line from “My Fallow Human Beans” inspired this haiku:

He wears our promise
like brass knuckles—a weapon
of a wedding band

Favorite Poems:
“Verde Vista”
“My Fallow Human Beans”
“Modern Life”

[cleo ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Honestly I don't really have much thoughts on it, aside from 2-3 poems which resonated with me when I read them but that I don't remember now.

[Berslon Pank · Rating 2 out of 5]

Really loved a lot of the poems in the section !!!

Leaves switchback
Away from the sumac.

AND

Seen swandiving
From the skyline.

Were some of the most fun for me.

[Koki]

Alex Lemon's "Fancy Beasts" seems to be a commentary on life, that life can be very chaotic. For example, in "tick tick tick," the speaker begins by claiming that "The most troubling thing is everything," suggesting that nothing in life is simple and trouble-free. The speaker then proceeds to describe certain inconsistent behaviors that he has observed, such as "eating tofurkey & Cherry Garcia while practicing / Yoga." Also, the speaker describes some of the hardships that are encountered in every day life, such as "Tomorrow's slick road" that is "so discouraging." In the end, Alex seems to suggest that everything is fine regardless of the chaotic nature of life because "We're all in / This shit together."

[Amelia Stanton · Rating 3 out of 5]

In Fancy Beasts, Lemon's most recent collection, the poet uses a raw, more playful voice to move farther away from the pain of his past and to reflect on certain elements of contemporary society. Because many of the poems in this book comment on the vast, tangled complexities of contemporary society, the text is not as directly linked to Lemon's personal journey as his other collections. Although Fancy Beasts does break through the constant "jabbering" of modern life, the poems seem to lose their luster when they are not specifically or explicitly grounded in Lemon's personal journey.

[Bryce Emley · Rating 3 out of 5]

i actually didn't like it as much as his first book, but probably better than his second. i think i need to give it a second read since it's pretty quick, so this might change to a four-star soon. some of these poems i loved, but he has a habit of writing some poems that i think are a little gimmicky. maybe i'm just not read enough on modern poetry.

[Laurel Perez · Rating 5 out of 5]

American consumers beware, Alex Lemon is onto you, and he pulls no punches. This collection keeps with a style all it's own, that plays with the rampant commercialism we live in. Once again Lemon has stolen my heart, made me think in new ways about a topic I try to pretend doesn't affect my life, and grabs 'Merika by the balls, taking scathing notes about the fancy beasts we all are.

[Dawn · Rating 5 out of 5]

funny, worthwhile little book

[Sonja · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't like all the poems, obviously, but there was some serious word porn imagery that was really spectacular and well worth the time to read.

[Kimberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favorite poems were.... all of section II, "modern life", "a little bit now", and "the physics of sawing yourself in half"--

[Signe · Rating 3 out of 5]

flashy, readable, likeable, hip.