I read some amazing books in 2020 and I would like to share them again with you, updated with the authors most recent releases and their biography.
This is my review from July 2020 and is the last in the trilogy of poetry by Frank Prem that I have read and enjoyed. Rescue and Redemption – Poetry inspired by T.S. Eliot’s ‘The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock’
About the collection
Let us go then, you and I,
When the evening is spread out against the sky
Like a patient etherized upon a table;
Let us go, through certain half-deserted streets,
The muttering retreats
Of restless nights in one-night cheap hotels
And sawdust restaurants with oyster-shells . . .
from The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock
Drawing on the phrasing of T.S. Eliot’s amazing early 20th century poem The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock (above) Frank Prem has produced a collection of companionable and introspective love poetry written, as always, in the unique style that allows every reader to relate.
Prem’s interpretations breathe new life into contemporary exploration of themes of love in poetry, and utilise Eliot’s original phrases to inspire a contemplation of the self in the context of landscape and the wider world:
I am seeking you
within the hubbub
and the burly
trying to gauge
location
by the strength
and timbre
of your voice
rising
and falling
even as you rise
and fall
from rescue and redemption
rescue and redemption is the third of the three collections that together comprise A Love Poetry Trilogy, with each revisiting outstanding work by stellar poets of the past to produce vibrant new collections. The first collection, walk away silver heart, draws on Amy Lowell’s deeply personal Madonna of the Evening Flowers, while the second, a kiss for the worthy, derives from Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass.
This is a new kind of poetry that tells stories, draws pictures and elicits emotional responses from readers. Just as the best poetry should.
My review for the collection July 4th 2020
I have read all of Frank Prem’s collections of poetry and this latest trilogy has been a pleasure to read. I felt that the poems in this most recent collection resonated even more with me, perhaps because I was already familiar with the originating poem by T.S. Eliot.
Frank Prem writes poetry which has a flow and intent that is addictive. It makes you laugh, nod in agreement and also has moments of sadness as it reminds us of how fleeting some precious moments can be.
There are several poems from the collection that I would like to highlight with a few lines from each.
Yesterday (never dies)
Here’s to you
my darling
here’s to you
ever since you left
I have found myself
secluded
A brief sojourn (in rain) – reminds me of walks with the dog in the Irish rain
I will retrieve
my hat and coat
my gloves
and boots
so
let us go.
A breakfast taken (dishabille) – Before the taking of tea and toast
It becomes
a breakfast
taken in your bed
This is a beautiful collection of poems based on a fascinating concept, that can be read in one sitting or be dipped into when you need to step back from the world for a short time and refresh your heart and mind.
Read the reviews and buy the collection: Amazon US – And: Amazon UK
Also by Frank Prem
About Frank Prem
I’ve been a storytelling poet for about forty years. Longer in fact, as I remember the first poem I wrote while at secondary school was about 150 – 200 words long and was accepted in lieu of a 500 word essay. I think that may have been the start.
I love to read my work to a live audience, and have audio recorded some recent recordings and popped them on my author page. I have also done some studio- recorded work under the direction and accompaniment of my wife Leanne Murphy that can be listened to there. These poems are on mythological themes and the accompaniment by Leanne makes them a little bit extraordinary.
By profession, I am a psychiatric nurse and have worked across most facets of public psychiatry and the mental health/mental illness spectrum. My experiences and reflections on what I have seen and done are the subject of a forthcoming memoir – scheduled for late 2019, or perhaps more likely, 2020.
I’ve been published in magazines, zines and anthologies, in Australia and in a number of other countries, but for a long time I haven’t sought much publication. The whims of editors are a little too capricious and unknowable, so I have preferred to hone my craft and self-publish on my poetry blogs
Leanne and I reside in the beautiful township of Beechworth in the North-East of Victoria (Australia).
Thank you for dropping by today and I hope you have enjoyed my review for Frank’s poetry collection… Sally
Smorgasbord Blog Magazine 