In the Language of Lost Light - by Patricia Nelson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"For those who enjoy poetry as parable, In the Language of Lost Light illustrates one truth after another. For those who enjoy heraldry and pageantry, legend and lore, it revisits our most familiar recitals. Delve into timeless truths set in the tradition of Arthur, the metaphysical framework of Dante-and in the here and now." The Activist Group, formed in the 1930s around Lawrence Hart, might be described as neo-Modernists. The Activist credo is that every word in a poem should be poetically "active," employing some kind of highly focused poetic technique-a principle not as self-evident as it might sound. Among the group's signature techniques are clusters of intense metaphoric imagery and a preference for associational, rather than narrative organization. Patricia Nelson has worked with the "Activist" group of poets in California for many years. In the Language of Lost Light follows the Activist credo. "Once again, Patricia Nelson grips the conscience with things beyond our grasp, holds us tight in suggestion, white space, and open air. Here's a study of the thin line between the essence and the interpreted, drawn out in quiet awe and wonder." (Material drawn from Jeff Santosuosso.)

Review Quotes

"In the Language of Lost Light," Patricia Nelson,

enchants and invites readers into a world of

verse that illuminates the mythical and enlivens

the ordinary. The clarity of voice and the poet's

command of language penetrate the deepest parts of

the imagination. Each time I read one of her poems,

I am transported to a place where thought and

imagination merge.-Linda Stamps, poet and author

of the novel, "Laid to Rest"

Patricia Nelson conjures up an immersive experience of the states of

being sentient - often more, or less, human. Up to the light she holds

many-hued images of love, loss, knowledge, dream and memory, showing

the ways words clarify and obfuscate. Here are the poet's contemporaries

and our cultural ancestors in classical mythology, medieval legend,

and the realms of Dante and Shakespeare. Each poem amazes, soothes,

saddens, or uplifts, and always moves. A uniquely interwoven set of

poems, the floating world of "In the Language of Lost Light" enthralls.

-Jan Seagrave, poet, storyteller, and librarian