Manoleria

by Daniel Khalastchi

Poetry. Winner of the Tupelo Press/Crazyhorse First Book Prize. Under the influence of broadcasts such as National Public Radio's "Marketplace" (a daily roundup of stock reports and business news), Daniel Khalastchi composed a series of character-driven poems whose recurrent narrator is physically and mentally manipulated while the world around him takes little notice. Through their chaos and horror, these poems ask a reader to question the ways in which our careening healthcare system, crumbling financial/housing/job markets, and war on multiple fronts are actually affecting us—both inside and out. "In MANOLERIA, the body, broken apart 'in elegant stress,' re-congregates. Formally, the poet is taking us through the emotional work of picking up pieces. Despite the splintering, despite the hemorrhage, somehow 'all is accounted for.' A cardinal debut..."—D. A. Powell.

Genres: Poetry

62 pages, Paperback

First published February 15, 2011

Reviews

[Benjamin Niespodziany · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, shit. The best poetry collection I've read this year. Easy. I love Khalastchi's work, and his later collections are all fantastic, but I finally got my hands on his debut (the only one I hadn't read) and it's one of my favorite poetry collections ever. Narrative and off-kilter and so damn vividly described. Parts reminded me of the dystopian fever dream film Beau is Afraid, if that makes any sense at all. A+ poems. Will be reading these again in a few weeks.

[Renee Eshel · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 rated down - bizarre and strange and raw

[Jendi · Rating 4 out of 5]

A memorable addition to the literature of horror poetry as well as the poetry of political witness. The narrator of these poems obediently submits to an endless sequence of bizarre procedures that are part surgical invasion, part public spectacle of punishment. Like someone brainwashed or anesthetized, he is quite clear about what is physically happening but has numbed out the normal reactions of fear, anger, or confusion.

My only criticism of this book is that there isn't enough forward motion. All the poems seem to be doing the same thing -- the downside of a collection that is so tightly unified in style and theme. If there is an arc of transformation, either narrative or psychological, it was too subtle for me to perceive on two readings.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

A harrowing trip through a surreal universe where horrors go unnoticed. The play with space and syntax in some of the poems mirrors the confusion of the speaker who is dealing with frightening and disorienting experiences.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this aloud with A one night, many months ago now. It was scary -- this book sort of feels like a nightmare. There's a lot of violence, a lot of small, specific, physically hurtful acts done to the speaker's body. The writing is incredibly clear and precise, the situations regularly bizarre.

[I. Mahmood · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horrific and terrific. Beautifully disturbing and disturbingly beautiful. Poe and Creeley had a baby and his name was Daniel Khalastchi. I read it in two hours and was disappointed only because I wanted more of it. I wanted it to go on. Loved it.

[Shappi · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend, of course, but these are very creepy, well-wrought poems. The one about the kid in the wall always makes me cringe.

[Jeff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review posted at the Iowa Cityscapes blog.

[H · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow.