Ordinary Life: In Three Acts

by Daniel Roth

Book Overview

The poems in this collection are shocking in their clarity, simplicity and power to move the reader. The author, when asked 'what kind of poetry he writes, ' came up with a term-"reductive".

The author has, as his children have reminded him, 'lived a life'. His travels have taken him all over the world, to Mali, Bahia, Mississippi, Morocco, Kenya, Cuba, Italy, Sardinia, Louisiana, South Central Los Angeles to name a few of his destinations, where...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 059539728X
• ISBN13: 9780595397280
• Release Date: June 2006
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Length: 260 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

Rmarkable

This is a remarkable collection of poems that flooded me with my own memories. A book to read and reread many times.

Anything but Ordinary....

The poems are profoundly intimate and personal with pleasuable sensuality. Daniel's collection of 'reductive poetry' gives hope in our struggles towards collective human-ness...

Fascinating

The poems in this book are the antithesis of what one could call an ordinary life but then again this poems describe the experiences of what an ordinary life is when embraced by an extraordinary man.... the way Daniel has throughout his life, without a doubt the way one should. Maybe then we will wake up, perhaps we will say and share what we feel, who we are, what we crave, what we wish and what we regret. This book is a gift of life. The Author has done his part. Now it is up to us to do ours . Where are we? What are the rest of us doing for the rest of us?? Why are we quiet? Why are we sleeping? Can't we see? Don't we feel? Don`t we have a treasure to embrace too? We can't wait any more. The shadows of "IT" (the only inevitable, inseparable truth of our lives meaning death) follow our steps untiringly, quiet, second after second until the day "IT" comes unmerciful and takes us; No more chances , no more if I could...., it will be over not a chance to speak then.....it will be too late! Like an unknown Spanish poet said once before "Dilo en Vida" "Hazlo en vida"(Say it while alive).(Do it while alive). I can only imagine, I am not able to comprehend how much courage and bravery it took for Daniel to expose His soul with such passion and honesty out to the universe, out to be free, available, touchable, questioned and wondered about. My deepest respect and admiration to Him. I Thank him for shouting, Thank him for sharing, Thank him for bleeding, Thank him for singing, Thank him for crying, Thank him for loving but most of all I Thank him for being a true Man! I have not finished reading all the poems yet I tend to read each one more than once, it's almost like eating my favorite dessert, I eat it slowly I don't want the pleasure to end.

Magnificent poetry that inspires the soul.

If Bukowski had a heart, he might have written these poems! No holds barred, double-barreled, bare knuckles, between-the-eyes poetry. No doubt about it. Don't know who this guy is, or where he came from, but he hits you in the gut with words, emotions, images, and it never stops. Like going into the ring with a heavyweight boxer...Amazing enough, when it's over, you feel cleansed, elevated...something happens. These poems are not for the trendy. No irony, no deconstuctionist, post modern-nonsense. Not for the timid, not for the faint of heart. Bravo!!!!!

Stellar.

Roth is a purveyor of clear imagery. His writing is elegant in it's simplicity and courageous in it's extreme honesty. It's as if you're reading the private diary of somebody that perhaps you know. The author's voice tells a story about an ordinary life of an extraordinary man and the the book is compelling, touching and evocative. In reading it, many times I found myself nodding and smiling (or nodding and verklempt) as the author transported me in time and space. As I shut the book, I'm left to wonder: when's the next book coming out? When? WHEN? Please don't make this reader wait another 44 years 'til the next one!