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Review by Nana Fredua-Agyeman, Accra, Ghana, Africa. ImageNations.

The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem

The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem

Review by Nana Fredua-Agyeman, Accra, Ghana, Africa. ImageNations.

The Parliament of Poets (2012) is a 294-page epic poem by Frederick Glaysher, which has the moon as its setting and deals with important issues such as science and religion, the current consumerist approach to our economics, profiteering and capitalism, gradual wearing away of morality and spirituality, wars, hunger, general deprivation, race, and more. It is a poem in twelve parts or Books. This review shall be restricted to Book I, which deals with the general issues covered in the individual books, and Book XI, which involves the persona’s visit to Africa and involves Achebe’s character in Arrow of God, the Priest Ezeulu.

As already stated the setting of this epic poem is the moon, specifically, the Apollo 11 landing site. The gathering of ancient and modern poets from both East and West was called by the Greek god Apollo and the Nine Muses. The main subject for discussion is the meaning of modernity and modern day nihilism. Several poets are gathered: Cervantes, Du Fu, Li Po, Vyasa, Tagore, Basho, Saigyo, Rumi, Attar, Shakespeare, Samuel Johnson, Keats, Wordsworth, Jane Austen, African griots and shamans, Balla Fasseke, Merlin, Job, and others. Before these gathering of awe-exuding poets stood the persona – The Poet of the Moon….

…a beautiful poem that falls off the tongue smoothly. …an excellent piece of poetry.”

See the full 2,100-word review:  ImageNations. Also on Goodreads.

Frederick Glaysher

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Finished the 8th Draft of The Parliament of Poets

Galaxy NGC 6822

Galaxy NGC 6822

August 17, 2012.

This morning I finished the entire eighth draft of The Parliament of Poets.

The eighth draft of the printed ARC or Advance Review Galley was only partly finished, up to the time whenever it was I sent it out and had it printed by Lightning Source, which version was about July 8th. That means up through BOOK IV, for the printed ARC. Most of the digital copies have been July 17th, to BOOK V, or earlier.

The Summer Serialization version, in ePub, has, however, been the eighth draft of each book. In fact I’ve finished each book usually three or four days ahead of publishing it on Sunday mornings throughout the summer. I’ve now finished BOOK XI and XII, so the entire epic is the eighth revision. I made some interesting changes and clarifications, much sharper here and there, with additional lines. Some nuances in BOOK XI, set in Africa.

This morning I found particularly exhilarating the Gates of Horn and Ivory in BOOK XII. I remembered and realized that I had written about both in my book The Bower of Nil and that there were fruitful connections to be made.

Frederick Glaysher

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Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

Heart of Darkness

November 12, 2010

A griot woman, robes and calabash flowing in the air, takes the Persona into the heart of darkness.  Sogolon, Sunjata’s mother. A dense jungle, a village in a clearing. A compound, a round, mud-brick hut.

Raped and brutalized, bodies, and a refugee camp. Hutus and Tutsis, Rwandans and Ugandans, Congolese and many factions.

A grieving, healing griot song, rings out above the human misery.

Mbeku, the Flying Tortoise, lifts the Persona to skyland, back to the Moon.

Out of America, out of Africa, back to the Moon.

Frederick Glaysher

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Ezeulu in Igboland, Nigeria

Igboland, Nigeria

Ezeulu in Igboland, Nigeria

November 5, 2010

Ezeulu, a priest. A compound in Igboland. A dirt floor and a kola nut. Wearied by a long journey, an illness overwhelms the Persona, a heart of darkness dark as the darkest human heart.  Clara, a nurse. Bitterleaf and palm nut soups, foofoo, yam potlage, cassava lightened with green banana.

Chalked half white, a circle around one eye. Words of Ezeulu to the Poet of the Moon. Drums, song, dance. Feet pound the earth, the village moves… Masks.

A Griot woman, a calabash…

Frederick Glaysher

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