Grand Gnostic Central and Other Poems
by Bryan Sentes
DCAD Enterprises, 1998
Reviewed by Kathy Shaidle
In one section of Grand Gnostic Central,
("Budapest Studies - IV"), Bryan Sentes writes:
The chest-high white-haired Swiss woman asked
What is it? And I explained
It's György Dózsa
He led a peasant revolt
And they crowned him
With a red hot iron crown
Made him a bronze throne
And cooked him on it
Then lined his followers up
And made them eat him
I read that wishing that more of his poems displayed
that sort of searing clarity. According to his back-of-the-book
biography, Sentes "divides his time between Europe and
Montreal;" this may explain why these pieces sounded les s like
poetry than like elevated-yet-empty Euro-style philosophising. Few of
these poems really come alive; most were too prosaic or vague to inspire
prolonged contemplation. Much intellectual name dropping, but not enough
heart, soul or passion.
There are a few interesting moments--I'm not
sure even Sentes noticed that the reds and yellows of the
"churchyard maples" in "A Québec" echo the likely
colours of the "wretched lasagna" his speaker consumes in a
previous line. Unfortunately, there aren't enough such moments to
recommend Grand Gnostic Central.
Kathy Shaidle's
first poetry collection was shortlisted for the 1998 Governor General's
Award. Among other things, she hosts the weblog RelapsedCatholic.com,
"where the religious rubber meets the pop culture road."
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