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Paul Monette's fierce and arresting collection of poems on the death of his partner from AIDS Following his partner Roger Horwitz's death from AIDS in 1986, Paul Monette threw himself into these elegies. Writing them, he says, "quite literally kept me alive." Both beautifully written and deeply affecting, every poem is full of anger, sorrow, tenderness, and a palpable sense of grief. With graceful language and emotional acuity, Paul Monette captures the enormity of a loss that ravaged a generation. But even more than they are about tragedy, these poems are about love. Each moving line is full of love for one who is no longer there, but whose presence is still achingly felt at every turn. Love Alone is remarkable for its honesty, its passion, and its depth. This ebook features an illustrated biography of Paul Monette including rare images and never-before-seen documents from the Paul Monette papers of the UCLA Library Special Collections.… (more)
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I remember that I was driving into the city on the Kennedy Expressway when I heard on the news that Paul Monette had died. It was a shock, even knowing that it was coming, any day. Oddly, I was on my way to a class on Plato.
Oddly, I say, because my favorite poem in this book is "The House on King's Road", with the lines:
". . .the lamp
pooling on the blue-bound Plato as we held
our ground through August let the material go
what you cannot buy or have in your name
is the ghost of a touch the glancing stroke
as a man passes through a room where his love
sits reading later much later the nodding head
of the one on the other's shoulder no title
usurps that place this is its home forever"
Monette wrote these poems after the death from complications of AIDS of his lover, Roger Horwitz, on whose grave are Plato's last words on Socrates, "the wisest and justest and best".
Monette was later to lose another lover, and then his own life, to the epidemic. Larry Kramer called these poems "gorgeous, heartbreaking screams". There are moments when they are maudlin, self-indulgent. He was entitled. They move me deeply, past mere sentimental tears. If one is not angry at this loss, at the many losses, one is not human.
Reviewing poetry is difficult, I think either you enjoy reading the poems and they resonate
I enjoyed this sad collection and I found this to be a beautiful tribute by Monette for the love of his life. The way Monette shares his feelings through poetry in an intense and honest way makes this for an emotional read. He remembers Roger as he shares not only his pain and his loss, but also his love for his partner. It's really moving. And that is what real love is all about, you never stop loving someone, even when they are gone.
"I promise you all the last gardenias Rog
but they can't go on like this they've stopped they know
the only garden we'll ever be is us"
There are photos at the end and I always find that a nice touch, as it makes reading something like this even more real. This was a lovely tribute.
disclaimer: I received my free review copy of Love Alone: Eighteen Elegies for Rog by Paul Monette via NetGalley.
This review is my honest opinion. I did not receive any type of compensation for reading and reviewing this book. While I receive free books from publishers and authors, such as this one, I am under no obligation to write a positive review.