Thirteen
Nocturnes
by
Oliver Sheppard
Genre:
Gothic, Dark Poetry
Combining
lush Gothic lyricism with postmodern experimentation, Oliver
Sheppard's second collection of verse, Thirteen Nocturnes, presents a
nightmare vision of a world in the grip of apocalypse and shadow--a
world where "a nighttime of years never-ending" becomes "a
darkness severe and unbending," and where life is relentlessly
"gathered up against the towering shadow of decay." Taking
cues from the dark Romanticism of Poe, the decadent Symbolism of
Baudelaire, and the apocalyptic tradition of William Blake--as well
as the existential doominess of 20th century cosmic horror--Oliver
Sheppard's Thirteen Nocturnes presents a verse vision of collapse,
announcing a cold poetics of disintegration in the new dark age of
the Anthropocene.
"Reading
Sheppard's poetry is a little like listening to a conversation
between Nietzsche and William Blake during a showing of Peckinpah's
Cross of Iron. Using a wide range of forms and cultural references,
Sheppard illustrates the human condition in ways that take as much
account of its absence as its presence... Given the chance, Sheppard
will lead you down dark and unfamiliar paths, to moments of weird
beauty." --from the foreword by John Foster
Oliver
Sheppard was born in Nashville, Tennessee, and lives in Texas.
Critical reviews of his poetry collections have been kind: "Like
listening to a conversation between Nietzsche and William Blake while
watching Peckinpah's 'Cross of Iron'," reviews of his first
book, Destruction: Text I, claimed. Garnering accolades from academia
and punk zines alike, Sheppard's work takes cues from the cosmic
fatalism of Lovecraft and Thomas Ligotti, and combines that with the
lush, Gothic lyricism of the Dark Romanticist tradition.
"Sheppard's
THIRTEEN NOCTURNES is gothic in every sense of the word; from the
writing style, the themes, to Oliver's own influences. Without a
doubt, this bountiful collection raises the bar for contemporary
gothic poetry. It's rare in this day and age to find poetry written
in a manner as sophisticated and profound as this. But
here, Sheppard combines a down-to-earth modernism with older styles
that make for a fanciful and unique experience for the reader."--Sar
Blackthorn, CVLT Nation
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The cover looks dark and mysterious and from the description it seems to fit. Sounds pretty dark, looks pretty dark.
ReplyDeleteThe cover looks very mysterious and it sounds like the same kind of read.
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ReplyDeleteThe cover looks dark and intriguing.
ReplyDeletethis cover is intriguing love to read
ReplyDeleteThe cover is romam or Greek like with a creep factor that screams demonic presence. Pretty deep and scary looking.
ReplyDeleteI like the cover, very dark and mysterious, very fitting of the genre.
ReplyDeleteThe cover and story look intriguing and a bit spooky.
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy spooky, haunting reads. The cover would definitely make me pick this book up for a closer look if I saw it on a shelf. The author's picture even seems to fit in to the theme the way he is wearing all black and not looking at the camera, Interesting!
ReplyDeleteive never read any goth poetry this sounds very unique and interesting
ReplyDelete