Book description
Of one of Mark Frutkin's previous books of verse, Poetry Canada
Review said it provided "a supernatural fusion of the
earthbound with the heavenly to forge the lightning of poetry."
Divided into two sections, one inspired by ancient Chinese art, the
other limning the ambiguities and incongruities of the contemporary
human condition, Frutkin's new volume of poetry, Iron Mountain, often
presents human beings wandering in the wilderness between two abysses
while still appreciating the smell of pines, the softness of the rain,
the brilliance of the stars, the hum of the computer, and the jostle
of the crowd on the bus.
These are poems of translucent delicacy harbouring hard truths where
"A Taoist priest gulps the elixir/of immortality and blows
away/in the dust,/a young Chinese girl/bumps me in the crowd/prompting
a shiver/like a startled phoenix/dressed in my skin." In
Frutkin's vision the entire world is a written landscape that speaks
to us of time, of change, of immutability, of radiant emptiness.
Mark Frutkin has published two previous volumes of poetry, Acts
of Light and The Alchemy of Clouds. The Governor
General's Award nominee has also published six novels, including
Slow Lightning, The Lion of Venice, Atmospheres
Apollinaire, and Invading Tibet. His newest work is Iron
Mountain (Fall 2001). His work has appeared in the United States,
England, Holland, and India, as well as Canada. He lives in Ottawa, Ontario.
