Archive for the 'Reviews' Category

Darkness, Darkness, my old friend
I’ve come to read your words again
Because a vision softly creepy
left its seeds while I was sleepy.

The link is to a novel written by a friend and fellow writer’s group member, and recently published by SamsDotPublishing (which publishes a lot of great SF and Horror). My altered Simon and Garfunkel lyrics above are somewhat true since at the time she read the work in group, I was still regularly attending the Monday night open mic at The Venice Cafe which went into the wee hours of the morning. Then a full day of work on Tuesday. And by the time of the meeting on Tuesday night I was often ready to fall asleep.

But she gave me a copy to read and critique outside of the meeting, and I was able to read it at a more heightened state of mind.

I am also told that I am mentioned in some manner in the bio. (I’m a bit scared about that.) I’ve ordered a copy, but it hasn’t arrived.

All of the above pretty much puts a huge ‘biased’ disclaimer on what follows, but it’s good. Damn good.

To quote the book blurb, the novella “takes you into a maelstrom of madness where, just as the singer becomes the song, so too does the writer become the story . . . and the story of madness becomes the writer. Heavy with the flavor of Poe, this tale is a must-read on a dark night.”

I’d say more, but you should read it, and it’s been awhile since I read it, and my copy hasn’t arrived. So this review sucks. But the novella doesn’t. Not by a longshot.

I’ve added a few filker-blogs to my links on the left (under artists, authors and musicians). To remind those who need reminding, filk is sf/fantasy themed music, often song parodies, often folk melodies, but not necessarily either.

FilkerTom is the livejournal of the filker Tom Smith. Some in my writer’s group will need to be told that this is a different Tom Smith, with equal amounts of funny, but with less horror. The member of my writer’s group with this name tells a story of being called up and being offered a plane ride to Santa Fe, NM to talk with someone who liked his work. He was gracious enough to inform the caller that they had contacted the wrong Tom Smith. Lots of fiction by the St. Louis Tom Smith can be read here. He’s also written song lyrics, but the songs haven’t appeared on the Dr. Demento Show, like FilkerTom’s has. Nor has he recorded cds (to my knowledge.) This paragraph really should have been more about FilkerTom, but you can follow the link and read more about him. He’s also had several posts in the past couple days about a dispute between LiveJournal owners and Livejournal users over their definition of Harmful Content.

MoFilker is the livejournal of Missouri Filker, Gary Hanak. He’s attended over twenty Archons and is a fixture at St. Louis conventions. He ran the Filking track at NASFiC. He can play the accordion, and has 2 cds.

Porcupine Burrito is the Livejournal of Blind Lemming Chiffon. His name, and his blog’s name, pretty much tells you everything you need to know, doesn’t it? Met him for the first time at NASFiC. Enjoyed his music. After returning from NASFiC he’s begun a song-a-day project on his livejournal.

the great Luke Ski’s livejournal isn’t new to the list, but he also is a filker, and he likes to tell audiences that he is the most requested artist on the Dr. Demento show for the 21st century. He is actually quite well-known for his promotional skills, starting with the name he chose for himself. He does have a talent for good lyrics, which in filk/dementia music is important. A lot of his selection is Rap parodies, but he parodies non-Rap music as well.

Sunday night I saw two movies. The first movie I saw was at the home of Dog Girl (she used to be Toy Lady, but she reminded me recently she hasn’t sold any toys for over a year. She works at a vet’s, and often there are more canines than humans in her home. So she has a new nickname. And maybe she’ll learn not to complain.)

The movie was 28 Days Later. I was the only one in the room who hadn’t seen it. (Well, the only non-canine in the room) It’s a zombie horror flick. The zombies weren’t classic undead, but instead the creatures were the result of an escaped virus that turned humans into raging monsters almost instantaneously. The movie followed predictable zombie paths, with a mixture of science fiction thrown in due to the virus. It was entertaining, though. Anyone who likes horror/zombie flicks is likely to enjoy it, if they haven’t already, since it’s been out for over a year. It’s setting in London made me think of Shaun of the Dead. However, there was nothing intentionally comedic about 28 Days Later. Good horror plotting. OK characterization. I know I was happy when it was finished, but I’ve already forgotten most of the characters. Since some of the scenes were vivid, I was able to call the characters to mind by going over the plot in my mind, but otherwise, they’d be gone.

After that, as some may have guessed already, we made a trip to the theater to see 28 Weeks Later. The sequel was disappointing. In the opening scenes, a character made a comment about the virus, which any viewer of the first film would know was untrue. I made the assumption that wasn’t a mistake, and the character would live to regret their misinformation. However, I was wrong, and it played no role in later events, leading me to believe it was a disappointing mistake on the part of the writers. The ending felt a little contrived and tacked. I’d have liked a couple minutes of additional explanation – it wouldn’t have taken much, and the movie was pretty short as it was. There were certainly some horrific scenes. The plotting wasn’t as good as the first film. I wasn’t satisfied. I remember a couple of the characters more vividly, though.

If I were going to rewatch either of the movies. I’d rewatch the first.

If the film I saw Friday night had been based on this script, it might have been better:

(click to enlarge):

OK…Spider-Man III was not *that* bad. I actually enjoyed it a bit. A fellow movie-goer complained that all the male characters cried at some point in the film. I’m OK with that. It was a highly emotional film, though.

I do feel villains should be permitted to be villains, though. They can be evil. They don’t need to be misunderstood, or abused, or whathaveyou. So I was a little upset that with the Valjean-ifying of Sandman.

I think I may be the only one in the universe who will make the comparison between the Sandman character in Spider-Man III and Jean Valjean from Les Miserables. But Valjean steals a loaf of bread to feed his sister and his sister’s family. (We never learn of their fate after Valjean’s imprisonment) Sandman, apparently, steals money to help his dying daughter. (And performs a more serious crime in the process.)

[Sandman in the comics always had an ailing mother he protected from learning his identity, making his morality slightly complex, but his crimes were committed out of self-interest, not out of concern for others. According to some bios online, he did ’switch sides’ briefly, but there was some suggestion it was a ruse, and he always returned to his evil ways.]

Of course, I also realize that Sandman is being made a more likeable character in the real comics currently. By one of my favorite comic book authors, no less. Peter David. (Who not so coincidentally has written the novelization for all three Spider-Man movies.)

(The comic above appeared in a 2002 issue of the Portland Mercury)

I was at a house concert last night.
The house was nearby Bevo Mill.
The performer was S.J. Tucker, aka Skinny White Chick.

As SWC is popular in the local pagan-community, and I have a few friends from that community, I’ve had the pleasure of hearing her play in some unique locales. Pagan Boy with a Mini had his own house concert two summers ago. She also joined our troupe for a winetasting jaunt in Ste Genevieve, and brought her guitar alolng. The acoustics were good in the cave at Cave Vineyard.

I’m really lousy at describing music. I can tell you I like the songs Mummy Medusa and Mama Dragon from her debut album, Haphazard. Or The Wendy Saga from her recent, Sirens. However, that tells you nothing. (Except that she is interested in Greek mythology, fantasy, and Peter Pan.) However, since some of her CDs are available at CDBaby, such as Haphazard, Tangles, and the live album Tales from the Road — You can listen to her music there. The only place online to buy Sirens, I think, is her website, and, alas, it doesn’t have a listening feature. I do think it’s her best album yet, more on which below. Finally, Haphazard and Tangles are on Itunes, so you can find individual tracks there.

Owning some of her music, and knowing the others were available online, I entered the house concert sure I’d be able to resist the merchandise table. But, to help curb any ‘crimes of passion’, I intentionally came with only enough money to put in the tip jar. Of course, I looked anyway, just to see what was available, and if there were any new items for me to look up online later — away from the siren call of her music. And I saw chapbooks. Chapbooks!

They turned out to be the lyrics and liner notes to her songs — one for each album. And the covers had some really nice cover art as well. It’s a creative marketing scheme. I was told they weren’t available online. But the blue and yellow stripes were visibly displayed on the table. And I’d not left my blue and yellow stripes at home:

Worse “crimes of passion” have been committed. Three chapbooks have been added to my library.

Let me share with you some of the lyrics from Sirens. Particularly, the Wendy Saga. This covers three tracks, and has 44 stanzas, so this is but a small taste. Which I think Sooj would appreciate.

Now, Wendy never was a girl to go against her friends
But recall when Hook had kidnapped her and promised no good end
Surrounded then by pirates and asked to join the crew,
the story goes she told them no, but not all tales are true!

Wouldn’t she rather climb the rigging and wield a cutlass bright,
Wouldn’t she rather have her own sweet say o’er wrong and right?
“Your decision, girl,” says Hook. “You think you’ll pass the test?”
The scurvy crew are sniggering, but Wendy answers “Yes!
You set me any task, old man, and watch me see it through.
You’ve never known the likes of piracy a girl can do!”

I don’t want to give too much of the story away, but the following comes from Part III (most probably could predict this was coming…the tale lies in the getting there):

Wendy’s ship it prospers, and the girls are eating well
A roving band of sisters, singing songs and raising hell.

Another track from the album, Sirens, which she performed last night as well, was Go Away God Boy. She makes it clear in the book, and when performing the song that it is not a church-bashing song, but a psycho-online-stalkers-who-think-they’re-Jesus-bashing song. And, alas, she isn’t using any of the words metaphorically.

The song contains these wonderful lines:

Who wants to go to heaven when your stalker meets you there?

and

Don’t try to wrap your head around my heartful of free will
I’ll shake you up, I’ll tear you down, do my worst and give you chills

The full lyrics can be read at The Bardic Circle. There’s also a song that should please kids, of all ages, entitled, Alligator in the House.

There are a couple reviews over at Amazon that talk about the sexism in this novel. I may need to add my own review to counterbalance them. This was written in the 1950s, and while the male characters from Earth are chauvinistic, it’s clear the author knows they are chauvinistic. A truly sexist novel is oblivious to the sexism of the characters. The female characters in the novel don’t universally accept the roles they are ’supposed’ to fill.

This same issue comes up in discussions of some of Robert Heinlein’s early works — viewed as sexist by many today, but the female characters are mostly strong, shown to be equally intelligent as the men, but forced to live in a chauvinistic society.

It can certainly be argued that the novel is anti-Collectivist. The back cover blurb describes it as a humorous parallel between Communism and bees, and that’s appropriate. However, I’d argue that de Camp goes beyond Communism, and if the book is intended as an argument for anything, it is an argument about the superiority of individualism over collectivism. There is a strong thread of Libertarianism that runs through Science Fiction, and Libertarianism is strongly individualistic, so this isn’t surprising.

This was the first novel I’ve read of de Camp’s, and he definitely displays a sense of humor in it. Encouraging me to search out some of his other books. It also reads like a novelization of a Star Trek episode; though de Camp wrote it a decade before the series appeared on television. Earth spaceship lands on primitive planet. Terrans have a philosophy of non-interference. They end up interfering. Chaos ensues. The fun lies in the details; and I left the book caring about the characters and wondering what happened to them.

Bloodsucking Fiends: A Love Story - Christopher Moore - 1995

It’s been a very long time since a book about vampires kept me up at night.

Of course, if you read my post Tuesday morning, that opening sentence isn’t a perfect setup. You already know I was up until 2 am reading it.

Bloodsucking Fiends isn’t scary, but it is, as the San Francisco Chronicle said, “bloody funny”, so Moore is 2-for-2 for me. One of the back-cover blurbs compares Moore to a combination of Kurt Vonnegut Jr. and Douglas Adams. There are some passages where I felt he might be imitating Adams, though they are rare, and it is in mostly his own comedic style. He wrote this 8 years prior to Lamb, and it was his third novel. I’m reading his second novel next. (Coyote Blue)

I was unable to catch Moore in any factual errors this time. While this is solidly a work of fiction, since few people know how vampires truly behave, there are always places for an author to make a mistake. The novel is set in San Francisco. I’ve been to San Francisco, but I am not conversant in its streets. One of his main characters, C. Thomas Flood, wants to be a writer, and there are literary references made. For example, one of Poe’s characters, Montressor, is mentioned by Flood.

There was one passage I feel was written purely for me. I don’t think there is any way for Moore to know me — now, and certainly not back in 1995. However, it was still written for me.

Flood is talking to a dead guy in a freezer as he types on a typewriter.

“When I write about the little farm girl in Georgia walking barefoot to school on the dirt road, I sound like Harper Lee, but when I write about her poor father, unjustly sentenced to a chain gang for stealing bread for his family, I start to sound a little like Mark Twain. But when the girl grows up to become a Mafia don, I’m falling into more of a Sydney Collins Krantz style.”

The idea of writing Les Miserables in the style of Mark Twain may be the scariest thing in the novel.

In 6 days, a new Christopher Moore novel is being released. It is actually a sequel to Bloodsucking Fiends. If you haven’t read Bloodsucking Fiends, don’t follow the link below, or if you do, don’t read the Publisher’s Weekly or Booklist review, because even the short descriptions give bits of the previous novel away. (As well as bits of the new novel I’m not sure I wanted to know.) Booklist’s review is worse than Publisher’s Weekly in this regard. While it has been mentioned in the comments of a few of my earlier entries that Moore reuses characters, this new book appears to be a sequel in the usual sense, where it would be unwise to read them out of order.

The Diagnosis – Alan Lightman – 2000

I finished the vacation with another work of science fiction you are unlikely to find catalogued in that section of a bookstore. Like Kafka’s In the Penal Colony, Alan Lightman’s The Diagnosis is thematically focused on the dehumanizing effects of technology. The quotes from critics on the opening pages mention Kafka several times, though most compare it to The Metamorphosis, as Lightman’s main character, Bill Chalmers, suffers a mysterious illness which slowly transforms him into a condition that both his wife and teenage son have difficulty dealing with.

There is nothing fantastic or magical, however, in the pages. Chalmers’ world is our own. All business communication is by email or cell phone. He looks up his symptoms on the internet to self-diagnose. The son takes an internet course on Plato, hacks the copyright protections, and sends his father copies.

I enjoyed the novel, but not as much as Lightman’s other novel, Einstein’s Dreams (2004). It didn’t equal the later work in poetic language. However, I was successfully drawn into the lives of the characters, and I am left contemplating technology’s effect on our lives. Chalmers lived at a much higher level of work-related stress than I do. I have intentionally chosen jobs where I don’t have to take my work home with me every day, knowing that I need downtime. Still, much of Chalmers’ life resonates.

Coincidentally, some of the symptoms of Chalmers’ illness are shared with Guillain-Barre syndrome, which gets mentioned twice in the novel. First, in Chalmers’ internet research, and second, by a doctor. It’s rare enough that any appearance in what I am reading catches my attention.

The Metamorphosis, In the Penal Colony, and Other Stories - Franz Kafka

After Lamb, I decided to read some Kafka. My mother had brought a collection of his short stories along on the vacation as In the Penal Colony had been assigned in her reading group. I suspect many people probably think I read Kafka in college. They think I have read all the great works once they learn I have a degree in English. Of course, Kafka didn’t write in English, and my degree is in English Composition. I learned early in my scholastic journey that I have great difficulty finishing a book I am not enjoying, which creates a serious hurdle in Literature classes. I’ve read a lot of great literature over the years, but it has mostly been by choice, not assignment.

Without reading Kafka, I already knew about Gregor Samsa, and how he woke up one morning as a cockroach. It’s hard to escape allusions to The Metamorphosis. So the first sentence of the short story was no surprise. And if by chance you’ve never heard of Gregor Samsa, then that is all I have ruined for you. The opening sentence. Like I, when I began reading, you have no idea what is to follow. It’s worth it. I was drawn in, and wasn’t released until I was finished. The reading isn’t difficult at all. There are no Joycian or Faulknerian sentences to decipher. The actions of all the characters propel the story to its unnatural conclusion.

I don’t know if any particular translation is superior. This edition has an introduction by Anne Rice. Yes, the author of the Vampire Chronicles. Not exactly the first author you’d expect to write an introduction to Kafka. However, apparently reading Kafka was a great turning point in her early writing career. She had been taught in all her studies that any works worthy of writing had to be written in a realistic universe, preferably about middle class, normal people. Because that was what all serious writers wrote about. She picked up Kafka in a bookstore and he gave her the courage to write using the nightmarish characters that populated her dreams.

Genre? “Literature” is a cop-out, and somewhat infuriating. Those who classify any work that reaches a certain level of critical success as “literature”, and then turn around and dismiss genre works as a whole as ‘unliterary,’ are quite correct, but only because they are defining the terms to fit their prejudice. Orwell’s 1984, Zamyatin’s We, and Shelley’s Frankenstein are all literature, and all Science Fiction. (Sometimes Frankenstein is also classified as Horror.)

Both The Metamorphosis and In the Penal Colony could be classified under horror, as aspects of both stories are horrific. The Metamorphosis could also be classified under Fantasy or Magical Realism. Though the latter term is often abused, and is usually applied to Latin American fiction, it does seem appropriate. Gregor’s transformation is the one magical part in an otherwise completely realistic world. It reminded me of Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s Very Old Man with Enormous Wings, in that respect. In the Penal Colony could be classified as Science Fiction. Often people will look at this genre as limited to stories set in the future, or on other planets. There are examples, however, where the story can conceivably take place in our own time. In the Penal Colony’s thematic focus – technology’s dehumanization of man – is squarely in the realm of Science Fiction.

Finally, if I were to create a reading list for the modern abolitionist, In the Penal Colony would definitely be on the list. I might even place it higher than Victor Hugo’s Last Day of the Condemned.

These were the only two Kafka stories I read from the collection, though I intend to find my own collection, and read some more.

[I attempted to epost this last night, and now, about 12 hours later, it’s still not posted, so I will try again.]

I found two old comics on Saturday. Classics Illustrated #9 (Les Miserables) and #18 (Hunchback of Notre Dame).

Neither were editions published in the 1940s, but instead the 1960s, making them slightly more affordable than they would have been otherwise. Searching the web I have found that both issues had several printings with at least 3 separate covers for each. If I can find some of the other covers without breaking my bank, I might consider it. Two other Victor Hugo novels were adapted, both of which are rarer: #56-Toilers of the Sea and #71 - The Man Who Laughs. I saw a copy this weekend of the latter from the 1940s for $25, but I passed it up.

Classics Illustrated was an interesting concept. The plot and characters of the classic novels were so chopped up and condensed to fit into the comic that those who have already read the novel cringe at what’s left out, and it’s hard to believe someone who hasn’t read the novels will be inspired to. So as something “literary” they fail completely. I’ve heard some suggest they were an early form of Cliff Notes.

I was depressed to discover Gavroche was left on the cutting room floor for Les Miserables, but I can understand his role in the novel wasn’t major. Predictably, the ending of Hunchback of Notre Dame was changed.

My niece did something a year ago I thought was really cute and funny.
I forget the movie her parents took her to, but apparently during a
scene she found scary she watched it through her fingers. She didn’t
close her eyes, or turn away, she still saw everything. But she felt
watching it through her fingers helped.

I think I found it humorous because it had been such a long time for
me I’d forgotten. Last night, however, for a few seconds, I was
watching through my fingers just like her. (Not to suggest she was
there with me. What scares us are on radically different levels, and
anyone who brought a 7year old to this movie should be charged with
child abuse.)

I laughed, I cried, I was frozen in my seat. And if I wasn’t leaving
town on Saturday, I’d be back in the theater this weekend, and
willingly pay full price. There are only a handful of remakes in
history that have outdone the originals.

Kong deserves the five star reviews it’s been getting. Even though it
doesn’t have a teenage hearthrob in it, I think it has a chance of
challenging Titanic box office receipts. The one difficulty it might
have is there are a significant number of people who don’t like
‘horror’ movies. And Peter Jackson’s version of Skull Island is
definitely a more frightening place than the original.

I was in my local dealer’s store yesterday, picking up my latest issues, and I saw Book of Lost Souls on the shelf. Written by J. Michael Straczynski, I figured I’d pick up the first issue and see what it was like. I will be reading some of JMS’s work in December, since I am reading the Spiderman: The Other crossover due to my long-time interest in Peter David’s work. I only recall watching one episode of Babylon Five, but friends did rave about it. And it was nearing Halloween…so a dark book might be fun to read.The book felt very familiar. Dark Fantasy…I thought…what other work of comic dark fantasy have I read lately. The recent gift of a friend came to mind. She lent me the first 28 issues of Gaiman’s Sandman. I enjoyed them, but had only gotten through the first 19…and other things had come up, and though I knew I had to read them so I could return them…I hadn’t yet.

So I returned to the stack, picked up issue #20, and stopped. I looked at the cover of issue 20, and then the cover of Book of Lost Souls and I said to myself A Ha! The same artist. And it is true. Colleen Doran did the art for issue #20 of Sandman, October 1990, and 15 years later, the cover of The Book of Lost Souls. However, there’s a problem. She didn’t do the art for issues #1-19. And I hadn’t read #20 yet. So if I was ‘recalling’ her artwork, I was recalling something I hadn’t experienced yet.

Freaky, hunh? Maybe it was just the Dark Fantasy feel. But whatever it was, I like JMS’s writing. The first issue does set up a frame that is interesting, and I am curious to see what he does with it. So I will be picking up issue #2.

And my friend, and writing colleague will be getting her Sandmans back next I see her.

I just finished reading City of the Beasts, by Isabel Allende. A well-known Latin American author of “magical realism”, this was her first YA novel. It was thoroughly enjoyable.

From a review on Amazon.com

Adventure seekers will find plenty of thrills in Allende’s first novel for young readers. When 15-year-old Alexander Cold is sent to stay with his eccentric, gruff grandmother, Kate, while his mother is being treated for cancer, he is more than a little reluctant to accompany Kate on a writing assignment in South America to search for a legendary nine-foot-tall “Beast.”

The characters are well-defined, and the plot isn’t completely predictable. (The latter being the downfall of a lot of YA fiction.) There are definitely some surprises in character-progression in that one character the reader isn’t thrilled with comes through in the end and shows that heroism can come from some unlikely places — and unfortunately with another character the inverse can be true too.

My only complaint about the book is the obvious way Allende made it clear at the end that there would be another adventure - which turns out to be “Kingdom of the Golden Dragon,” which is now on my to-be-read list.

Comics Poetry: The Adapted Victor Hugo
Published by ComicsLit / NBM publishing 2004
ISBN 1-56163-390-9

I originally heard about this collection from Cognitive Dissonance. Being somewhat obsessed with Victor Hugo, I ordered this book hoping to fall in love with it. And I almost have.

They took thirteen of Victor Hugo’s poems, and then found thirteen different illustrators, varying dramatically in technique. In this edition, they are translated into English by a variety of modern and nineteenth century translators. However, the original publication was in French - as one would expect. I point this out as it means the illustrations were drawn for the French, and the text was then changed to English.

A couple of the translations appear to have been commissioned specifically for the book, and these translators may have had a copy of the illustrated French to make sure their translation fit. But obviously the other translators didn’t. I believe this is the reason the editors felt they needed to make some changes. I don’t have a problem with this, as the changes they make are generally positive. However, they don’t admit to doing it. And this violates a cardinal rule I have with all adaptations. I want to be told when something is abridged, or altered in any way.

The 19th century translations come from two sources, both of which I have over the past several years seen often on Ebay:

1) “Poems in Three Volumes” published by Dana Estes and company. There is no date, but it is approximately 1900.

2) A collection edited by Henry Llewellyn Williams in 1887

In Pirate’s Song (Translated by H.L. Williams):

These lines:

She sought to flee back to her cell,

And called us each a devil!

We dare do aught beomes Old Scratch

But like a treatment civil,

So, spite of buffet, prayers, and calls –

too late her friends to rally –

become (click to enlarge)

If you look at the illustration, you’ll notice the original translation wouldn’t have made sense. As it is, the dialogue and the exposition are a little confused. It would have been worse.

In On a Barricade (translated by Nelson R Tyreman or N.R.T.) the illustrated translation ends with: And the officer said, “Be Free!” As can be seen in the link above, the poem does continue. This abridgment bothers me both less and more than the change above. Less, because in the half of the poem they do use, the translation is kept unchanged. (I use a different translation on my website, but I have a copy of the translation they use, and it does match.) More, because it is abridged, and apparently, the French was abridged in the original edition. Even worse, they make no mention of this abridgement, and they cut out half the poem. The second half of the poem admittedly doesn’t lend itself well to being illustrated. It is basically Hugo sermonizing on the meaning of the first half. He doesn’t do this often in his poetry, and in some ways, it does lessen the impact. However, I like to be told when the work I am reading is abridged. I expect abridgement when a novel is adapted for comics. But not with poetry.

My last complaint is the result of a minor editorial oversight. On the last page of the book they have a short bibliography. This bibliography includes: “Poems and Translations Written Between the Ages of Fourteen and Seventeen” by Emma Lazarus, 1867. But Lazarus is not credited within the book for any of the poems. It appears they decided to go with a different translation for one (or more) of the poems. This upsets me. Emma Lazarus’ name is recognized by many Americans. She is easily more important than any of the translators they include in the collection. Maybe not all kids today are taught who wrote those words on the Statue of Liberty, but they should be.

The New Colossus - by Emma Lazarus:

Not like the brazen giant of Greek fame,

With conquering limbs astride from land to land;

Here at our sea-washed, sunset gates shall stand

A mighty woman with a torch, whose flame

Is the imprisoned lightning, and her name

Mother of Exiles. From her beacon-hand

Glows world-wide welcome; her mild eyes command

The air-bridged harbor that twin cities frame.

“Keep, ancient lands, your storied pomp!” cries she

With silent lips. “Give me your tired, your poor,

Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,

The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.

Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,

I lift my lamp beside the golden door!”

Emma Lazarus’ poem is associated with Freedom in America. Just as Victor Hugo’s name is associated with Freedom in France. It’s a shame they decided not to use her translation(s). It would have been extremely appropriate.

Her book is described as: Thirty original poems and forty-four translations from the German (Heinrich Heine) and the French (Alexander Dumas and Victor Hugo), seventy-four poetic pieces in all. This, as one might guess from the title, was her first book of poetry, and it was apparently highly praised by Ralph Waldo Emerson.

I want to see her translations, damnit! I don’t care how young she was when she wrote them!

I now have another rare book to find on Ebay. (Actually, it is extremely rare. Her father printed it for “private circulation”, and Emma Lazarus later in life tried to destroy all copies. Three survived her embarrassment. And while a reprint copy is available on Amazon, it’s for an exorbitant price. So it appears I will be looking for those poems within other collections.)

Here are a couple more samples of the artwork used.

ART: Eric Nosal TRANSLATION: Joe Johnson POEM: An Old Song of Younger Times

ART: Estelle Meyrand TRANSLATION: EH and AM Blackmore POEM: Vivar