Reviews for Against The Evidence

The average rating for Against The Evidence based on 2 reviews is 5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2019-03-17 00:00:00 James Hoffine It seems strange to call a poet who swept up literary awards virtually in his sleep an underrated writer, but he seems to have largely vanished from contemporary consciousness. That's a shame, because many readers would probably find his poems not only enjoyable but serviceable. There's a homely sort of beauty to his short poems, which are often neurotic, but smart and sometimes even sacramental. He sometimes reminds me of Creeley, sometimes Bronk, but he's his own creature and he has a practical way about him even when he's indulging in metaphysical larks. EACH STONE Each stone its shape each shape its weight each weight its value in my garden as I dig them up for Spring planting, and I say, lifting one at a time, there is a joy here in being able to handle so many meaningful differences. IF WE COULD BE BROUGHT If we could be brought to the surface like a gleaming fish and served for supper, if we could eat and swallow our own life to make a good meal, if we could go fishing for ourselves and feed on the gleaming swimmer below the surface of our skin-- the fish that is our slippery life and death. NO THEORY No theory will stand up to a chicken's guts being cleaned out, a hand rammed up to pull out the wriggling entrails, the green bile and the bloody liver; no theory that does not grow sick at the odor escaping.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-11-22 00:00:00 Teck Li Andrew Koh I watched David Ignatow grow, mature, mentally and emotionally within the pages of this beautiful book of poetry. This is my second reading of it, and for me, it is timely, due to the circumstances regarding the COVID-19, that has taken hold in America, and worldwide. I enjoyed reading, within the last portion of the book, how Ignatow is comfortable within himself, and is not afraid to live alone. He understood that 'lonely' and 'alone' are not necessarily the same thing. Autonomy is extremely important, and the ability to live alone without feeling lonely or disengaged, is a positive trait. I felt David Ignatow depicted that ability, and enjoyed this book of poetry.