Into The Ruins

Beyond Postmodernism, probing the nihilism of the age, Into the Ruins confronts much of the human experience left out of the balance by postmodern poetry, often compared to the Alexandrians and the Neoterics, when writers similarly concentrated on the minor themes of personal life, while ignoring the challenging experience of the public realm. Suffused with a global tragic vision, into the ruins of the 20th Century, Glaysher has his gaze fixed firmly on the 21st.

Reviews

"At high points, his poetry captures the feelings of contingency and horror felt by many but expressed well by few. Glaysher fits well within the literary tradition, as he shows with his allusions to or mentions of, among others, Augustine, Dante, Yeats, Dostoyevsky, and Hayden; however, his voice is distinct. Among contemporary poets, few have a vision as darkly haunting. Few also have the knowledge and the ability to handle contemporary issues with such presence of language. Out of the mass of recent poetry books, here is one you should read." --Jack Magazine

"A litany of horrors updating Eliot's Waste Land, the book upbraids poets for turning inward only to concerns of the self." --North American Review

"I will definitely be checking out more of his work in the future (Parliament of Poets looks good). This book deals with many of the horrors and terrors of the long 20th century, and in many ways chastises the poets of this period for not finding an effective way to confront that horror. ...well laid out, and does what so few collection of poems do-- that is build an argument or overall claim. There are short pieces that deal with the visceral horrors of conflict, relying on powerful imagery, and then longer drawn out philosophical pieces that culminate what Glaysher has been saying. The result is a collection that makes shorter, powerful jabs, followed by a prolonged punch. The reader is therefore left with the power of the poetry as the poems build on each other in rapid succession. Well written, thought out, and containing a clear purpose, I highly recommend Into the Ruins and look forward to reading Glaysher's other works." --Wes Bishop, Goodreads

"A book about something other than an author's reflections in a mirror." --Expansive Poetry

"It is argued that now poets must turn to contemplating the real world and Glaysher is remarkable in his achievement of this. Excellent poetry; his words and images hit you right in the gut. Well worth reading." --Poetry Greece

"Equivalent to the shock of visiting a holocaust museum depicting all the world's victims of genocide. The imagery he flashes in this gallery of atrocity, hopefully will sensitize readers to the extent that they will recognize the moral imperative of conquering the evil inherent in man." --Collages & Bricolages

"Powerful poetry." --Katnip Reviews

"His poetry is fluid and rhythmic . . . thoughtful and provocative." --Main Street Rag

"Fred Glaysher takes us on a journey to that larger dimension of responsibility where thought meets action. This is a poetry of connectedness, which asks us to bring together broken parts of our cultures (both East and West) and search for a new identity, perhaps a new world order. His finely crafted poems are accessible and have a purpose that needs to be heard. " --WPON Interview

"An impressively broad survey of atrocity." --Chicago Poetry

"A poetic reflection on postmodern life, with a particular focus on the limitations of both Eastern and Western thought. Collectively offers a higher path to universality for our future." --EdwardHamilton