solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short (Fine Tooth Press, March 2007)

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Advertising Blurb:

"Let us this once judge a book by the cover. What else can be done when we come upon the picture of a butterfly besmeared on a car bumper in its orange isolation? Here, the potential reader catches the first glimpse of Edward Carvalho’s collection of contemporary poetry—solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short —and is presented with an entirely new American landscape; an unrelenting portrayal of a modernity punctuated by 'No arts; no letters; no society…' But this book is no repetitive dirge, no mere grief-song for our civilization. Rather, Carvalho’s poems resonate with the potential for hope, welcoming all who are eager and brave enough to intercede upon the often illogical discourse of humanity. As such, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short, was born from the very earth it scorched. It emerges from a newly prepared soil, coated in the phosphates of the poet-author's many 'beautiful casualties.' Powerful, original, and certain to be for bookstores what Gideon was to the hotel drawer, Carvalho’s latest poetry, just like its front cover image, will most definitely not be ignored." —William Thompson

Reviews:

"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 cliché. 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 which could double as a door stop. 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 entitled 'Mondays,' Carvalho grapples with the frustrations of a typical cubicle-encrusted candy-bar napping incident, while in 'Américha' 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 Beckett, proving that this doctoral student has read all of the pre-requisite 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. [. . .] His work challenges you to think about man’s struggle within a plethora of haunting, daunting, and complex social conditions." —Jen Woolston

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Author Note:

A manuscript created between 2004 - 2006, solitary, poor, nasty, brutish and short is the creative portion of my Master of Fine Arts thesis filed with Goddard College. Four months after graduation, Fine Tooth Press in Connecticut expressed interest in publishing the work in its entirety, tentatively slated for release later in the year.

The theme of the work is inspired by Thomas Hobbes' famous quote from Leviathan and examines modern man's relationship with himself, his fellow man and his society. Five distinct sections of the book chronicle familiar elements of modernity from discourse, the natural world, transportation, interaction within relationships and politics in order to help the reader make sense of the "mess of modern society."

Forward by Dr. James R. Scrimgeour

"If the radiance of a thousand suns":
Songs of the American Hiroshima, Books I - III (2008, 2009, 2010)
forthcoming manuscript in progress

 

 

Other poems included in this collection
(sample titles only - no hyperlinks):

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Author Note:

Inspired by the Bin Laden term for a nuclear attack on American soil to mimic the 1945 bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, "If the radiance of a thousand suns": Songs of the American Hiroshima explores the current political climate in and of the United States as well as the post 9/11 modernity upon familial and cross-cultural relationships. The work will be presented as a trilogy, with the first book, tentatively entitled, "Nuclear Family," scheduled for release in 2008.

updated 13 May 2007

Poetry