Thomas McGrath (1)Besprekingen

Thomas McGrath is one of the great American poets of the 20th century, unjustly neglected. Read this book and you'll see what I mean.½

Thomas McGrath is one of the great American poets of the 20th century, unjustly neglected. Read this book and you'll see what I mean.½

Unusual chapbook for McGrath, these are very short poems, almost epigrams. "The stick of the blind man / Invents a new darkness." I can imagine McGrath telling long stories before reading each of these.

While McGrath is my favorite poet and while parts three & four are excellent, particularly part four, this volume does not stand well alone. It needs the first two parts. Better yet, acquire the complete version.

Beer! with a proletariat bias. While this poem is collected in two other McGrath's, this sown chapbook sets the poem out much better. This praise belongs framed in all bars.

"Hallelujah! For the People's Beer! And for all His comrades: praise!"½

Everybody is guitly, and The Investigator will find all. Set in the future California, mechanized consumerism, Amalgamated Joy, workless stiffs, and soulless birds. An Americanized "1984" by the blacklisted author whose HUAC confrontation is still celebrated. This novel is solid if predictable. [This Coffin Has No Handles] is a much better work.