Red-haired android

by Jeremy Reed

In England, Jeremy Reed has emerged from the obscurity of small presses through a string of books with Jonathan Cape at the heart of the British literary scene. Yet Jeremy Reed remains and outsider,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 058609184X
• ISBN13: 9780586091845
• Release Date: January 1992
• Publisher: Grafton
• Length: 280 Pages
• Weight: 0.46 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.8" x 0.7" x 5.1"

Customer Reviews

An undiscovered classic

Though Reed suffers from chronic name dropping and repetitive, trite expressions ("inner space" appears at least twice a page), his poetry is as visionary and original as the heroes he worships. It is in the tradition of Rimbaud, the poet as deranged rebel and tortured visionary, and Reed is clearly not pretending. "Outsiders" is one of his most iconoclastic pieces, and perhaps more than any other poem in the collection expresses his credo. It is also, despite very upbeat imaginative trips, very dark material: Reed is not praising the felicities and trivial joys of life so much as reaching for its core in his urgent, existential fashion. Some of the most haunting poems are dedications to his deceased friends who were obviously as committed to his 'live on the edge' philosophy as he is. There is no posturing involved, and it would not surprise me at all if in twenty or thirty years "Reed" is mentioned in the same breath as "Artaud".

A world of colour and truth

Red-Haired Android is my first foray into the world of Jeremy Reed, and in reading his poetry I have discovered a voice for my generation. His vivid use of colour to describe feelings, emotions and surroundings, give words a new meaning. The imagery in his thoughts is astounding. He can create a mental picture using only a few simple words. The passion the Jeremy Reed conveys through his use of language was quickly passed on to me, and this book has been relegated to the 'favourites' shelf in my bookcase. This is a book that is is for anyone. For lovers of poetry and those who have yet to be convinced of its power.

Stunning

Despite suffering, ultimately, a bit of classic British reserve, Reed's poetry is quite probably the best currently being produced by anyone, anywhere. While lacking the warmth and humanity of Desnos, for example (clearly one of his major influences), Reed's work is awash with the telltale signs of true genius; from his unrivalled use of color to his ultramodern, up-to-the-minute employment of late-century vernacular, his writing shimmers with a top-to-bottom coherence,imagination, and clarity of thought that no other current poet in my experience can equal. To find another poet of this caliber, you have to journey back to the aforementioned Robert Desnos, circa 1926-45.

A good collection by a startling voice in poetry.

Jeremy Reed is open and unabashed about his bisexuality, his affection for rock stars, and his fascination with science fiction. All this could, and sometimes does, make surprising, interesting, and superb poetry. Unfortunately, Reed also tends to be repetitive, meandering, and narrow in his focus. Of his sexuality, he has said, "Why be one or the other?" so many times it seems like a mantra or creed rather than a deeply held belief, and this simple piece of rhetoric disbands at one sweep all the interesting possibilities and societal challenges raised by such fluid sexuality. Still, Reed has the ability to delight and surprise his readers as well as the authors he admires most: Artaud, Rimbaud, Ashbery. His tendency to bring science-fiction staples such as androids, robots, and astronomical phenomena into his poems is one that could potentially create a whole new genre: the science fiction poem. Since the best science fiction is that which rises above the level of pulp material, and which also has a tendency to become science fact, perhaps Reed's vision isn't so farfetched as it may seem.