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LUDLOW
by
David Mason
Ludlow is a verse-novel that will bowl you over with its dramatic power and keep you reading on, under its spell. This violent chapter in American labor history richly deserves a poem of epic size, and David Mason, outstanding poet and long-time resident of Colorado, is the man to deliver it. Unforgettably, its characters practically step off the pageimmigrant hero Louis...more
Paperback, 232 pages
Published
February 1st 2007
by Red Hen Press
(first published January 1st 2007)
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This book-length poem (the author calls it a "verse novel") builds on the basic facts of the 1914 Ludlow Massacre, in which eighteen people (most of them women and children) were murdered by members of the Colorado National Guard, protecting the mining interests (and ideological commitments) of John D. Rockefeller. Along with the Sand Creek Massacre, it's among the most brutal episodes in Colorado history, and I've been a bit shocked at how many people I've mentioned it to have never heard of it...more
Ludlow is a novel in verse, meaning it has the speed, concision and accuracy of the best poetry, along with the expansiveness and character development of a novel. It tells the story of a handful of immigrants—Greek, Mexican, Scottish, Italian—in southern Colorado, climaxing in the Ludlow Massacre of April 1914, in which elements of the Colorado National Guard killed striking miners and family members.
The novel follows two primary characters: the fictional Luisa Mole, orphaned in the opening ch...more
The novel follows two primary characters: the fictional Luisa Mole, orphaned in the opening ch...more
Beautifully crafted narrative poem which tells the story of a violent strike in a Colorado mine in the early 20th century. It reads like an old-fashioned ballad.
Read the whole book in 1 sitting. I love when I get a chance to do that! :-)
I learned about Colorado coal mining when working on a photo archiving project for Lafayette Public Library. The northern coal fields were not as rich, nor did they employee as many workers as those in southern Colorado, and so avoided much of the labor disputes and violence. Still and all, what a way to make a living. I loved the sense of place and landscape Mason creates--I could feel the wind and dust. And so interesting that the character he creates, who holds the story together, is not a mi...more
This historical narrative is written entirely in verse. It tells the story of the Colorado miner's strike at Trinidad in the early 1900's, and the killing of 18 strikers, women and children by the Colorado National Guard. David Mason, a poet whose family is from the area, writes compellingly in blank verse; the story of the miners is woven with brief interludes of Mason's own story. A great book for people interested in history or poetry.
Not sure how to rank this -- it absorbed me. It moved along quickly, for an epic-type poem. Mason writes of the tragedy of the Ludlow, Colorado coal miners' strike.... a place associated with his youth. Lots to think about here. And all in iambic pentameter, to boot. But, but, but...
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May 01, 2008
Renee
rated it
5 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
any historian stuck in a rut.
Shelves:
poetry
I was reluctant to even purchase the book, but when I understood the depth that went into personalizing a real history through poetry, I was enraptured by it.
This is poetry, not prose. I found that to be difficult at first, but I became immersed in the story. Definitely worth reading.
Interesting. He is a Colorado College professor.
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