Quentin S. Crisp's September was published by Snuggly Books in May 2016.
Information about Quentin S. Crisp:
Quentin S. Crisp was born in 1972, in North Devon, U.K. He studied Japanese at Durham University and graduated in 2000. He has had fiction published by Tartarus Press, PS Publishing, Eibonvale Press and others. He currently resides in Bexleyheath, and is editor for Chômu Press. His novella Blue on Blue was previously published by Snuggly Books.
Information September:
"Poetry is one of the oldest, most widespread and yet most secret means of renewal known to human culture. It is the most essential way of prizing single words and the immemorial heritage that is language. With poetry, science and magic are mixed; we put runes under a microscope. A poem is a fish that has swallowed a ring of many meanings, leaping from the belly of a lake to flash for an instant in the sun.
"In recent years, I have found myself drawn to the Japanese tanka form, and have developed my own version of it, in English, through practice rather than theory. I say ‘my own version’ not as a boast, but as a disclaimer; as a disclaimer and not as an apology. I would say I 'attempted' to develop my own version, except that, in being something worked out in the doing, it has been entirely natural to me. The new form combines a discovery of small mental and emotional specimens, like shells on the mind's shoreline, with a stylistic means of presenting such natural and serendipitous finds as aphorism, memento, meditation and so on.
"In 2015, I decided that for the month of September, I would write, upon waking, at least one such poem a day. In this way I have attempted to keep a diary of time, place, mind and their relations to each other."
- Quentin S. Crisp, Bexleyheath, February, 2016
A REVIEW OF QUENTIN S. CRISP'S SEPTEMBER
Quentin S. Crisp's September is the third chapbook in the Snuggly Slim edition series (published by Snuggly Books). It's a fine example of a well written and captivating poetry chapbook that has been aimed at thinking adults. It can be recommended to a wide range of readers, because its contents and literary values will address many readers. It is suitable for mainstream fiction readers and quality-oriented speculative fiction readers.
Before I delve into analysing and reviewing September, I'll say a few words about Quentin S. Crisp, because he may be a bit unknown author to readers. Quentin S. Crisp's fiction has been published by several small presses and he is currently an editor for Chômu Press. He is a talented author whose works range from literary fiction to speculative fiction. I strongly urge you to read his works, because he writes excellent prose.
Because I enjoyed reading Quentin S. Crisp's Defeated Dogs (Eibonvale Press, 2013), The Cutest Girl in Class (co-written with Brendan Connell and Justin Isis / Snuggly Books, 2013) and Blue on Blue (Snuggle Books, 2016), I'm glad I had an opportunity to take a look at September. Based on this chapbook I can say that the author clearly has a talent for writing modern poetry.
I've noticed that poetry is a form of literature that we either like, dislike, love or hate. Normally, there's no middle ground between love and hate, because poetry has a tendency to evoke strong feelings in each of us. Depending on our taste in literature, easthetics and symbolism, we are either fascinated by all things related to poetry or we are not impressed by them at all. I personally enjoy reading well written poetry, because good poetry is at its best an extremely beautiful, touching and thoughtful form of literature, which has a lot to offer for readers. I found myself intrigued by this poetry chapbook, because Quentin S. Crisp masterfully handled all the possible aspects needed to write vivid poetry.
I was very impressed by Quentin S. Crisp's way of writing poems, because he has a beautiful and eloquent voice of his own. I have to admit that I'm not an expert on the Japanese tanka form of poetry, but in my opinion the author has added a bit himself to it, because he has his own evocative way of expressing various things by means of poetry. His subtle output is a pleasure to read, because he examines life and existence in an observant way.
I'm aware that this may sound a bit strange to many readers, but September can be seen as a kind of an ethereal, existential and emotional - and also a bit experimental - journey to a month in the author's life, because he wrote it during September 2015. Each day has its own poem (the poems start at Tuesday, 1st and end at Wednesday, 30th). As the author mentions in the synopsis, he has "attempted to keep a diary of time, place, mind and their relations to each other." I think that he has succeeded in it and has created something unique and personal.
I enjoyed reading each of the poems and their stanzas, because there's a fascinatingly personal feel and a gently flowing rhythm to them. They're beautiful, honest, mesmerising and thought-provoking poems with a delicate yet firm touch of elements ranging from realism and wonder to longing and wistfulness. They charmingly evoke various images in our minds and gently stimulate and caress our imagination.
In my opinion, there's quiet magic and wisdom in this chapbook. When you begin to read the poems, you'll find yourself wholly immersed in them. You can't help but be stunned by their eloquence, because they lead you to a peaceful and mesmerised state of mind. Reading them feels almost like having a lucid dream.
No matter what you normally read, don't be afraid to give this short chapbook an opportunity to impress you with its beauty, because it's a mesmerising reading experience. In my opinion, September is a gem that awaits to be found by readers who are willing to let themselves be secuced by beautiful and nuanced prose. It's something special and unique.
Highly recommended!