What can one expect from a book of poetry that features a grotesque image of a dead butterfly on the cover and a maggot-encrusted dead bird on the back flap? The answer is, one can expect a good deal.
The book in question, titled "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" and published by Fine Tooth Press, is coming from IUP's Edward J. Carvalho, an English Literature and Criticism doctoral student.
Simply put, Carvalho's book deals with the classic themes of sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, but the author does not present anything trite or cliche. If his book were getting dressed, it wouldn't be wearing a pair of leather chaps and hoist a guitar - it would choose to don some faded jeans and a big fat sneer at the system.
This is not one of those books that could double as a doorstop. If you expect to skimp on your Nyquil purchases, think again, as this text will most assuredly not induce drowsiness.
Once you begin reading, you will devour its contents, in greedy little gulps. This is one of
those books that you will recommend to everyone, but you won't want to lend out your personal copy.
Within one poem titled "Mondays," Carvalho grapples with the frustrations of a typical cubicle-encrusted candy-bar napping incident, while in "Americha" he rewrites the "Star Spangled Banner" to give voice to the
sexual exploitation of immigrant workers. As these two brief examples illustrate, there is certainly something for everyone within this collection.
Even though readers may be skeptical of a "new" poet on the scene, this one has plenty to say, and he says it well. Carvalho comments upon - among other things - the frustrations presented by wireless communication, traditional creation stories,
animal rights, prostitution,
serial killings and political happenings, all within the pages of "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short."
Carvalho also presents countless clever references to canonical authors such as Shakespeare and Godot, proving that this doctoral student has read all of the prerequisite masters, and is well on his way to becoming a master
himself.
If Henry Miller, Walt Whitman and Edgar Allan Poe had an intellectual love child, this book may well have been the result. You don't need to "get" every single allusion this author makes; but you do need to wrap your hands around a copy of this book.
Carvalho's voice is unmistakably clear and it will not be ignored. His work challenges you to think about man's struggle within a plethora of haunting, daunting, and complex social conditions.
Carvalho's "solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short" will be featured at a book release party at the Commonplace Coffeehouse on Saturday from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Other details about the book itself, ordering information and additional background on the author can be obtained at
edwardjcarvalho.com.
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