Primitive Mood

by David Moolten

This collection of poems examines the damaged lives of society s lost and marginalized using myth and fairy tale as an ironic lens. Eschewing sentiment or facile prescription, poet David Moolten s dispassionate but respectful renderings of his characters sufferings debunk wishful indifference and reveal profiles in strength. From the plight of the urban junkie to genocide both contemporary and historical, the poems allow the truth to tell itself, in language that is both potent and efficient. The verse is exacting in its precision, but ultimately casts the light of hope on the immediate darkness.

80 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2009

About the author

I'm the author of three books of poetry, the most recent of which, Primitive Mood, won the T.S. Eliot Prize from Truman State University Press, and was published in 2009.

My verse has appeared widely in anthologies and in magazines such as Ploughshares, Poetry, The Georgia Revew, The Iowa Review, and The Sewanee Review.

I'm also a physician specializing in transfusion medicine, and I live, write and practice in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania."

Reviews

[Jennifer Collins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Moolten's poems are sometimes elegant, sometimes striking. While the personal ones in the collection (many of them coming towards the end, by the way) are the most powerful in my eyes, along with some of the ones in the beginning which come across as sort of contemporary takes on legends or fables, the collection as a whole has a great deal to offer. With language that blends lyricism with a sort of prose sensibility, the poems come together into an eclectic mix of images and meanings which should offer enjoyment to any poetry reader. And although I won't likely revisit the collection in whole, there are some poems here that I'll want to return to again and again.

Recommended.