Plumb is a profound exploration of the melancholic and desolate landscapes of the human psyche, masterfully penned by George Bacovia. This work embodies the essence of Romanian Symbolism, transcending the boundaries of literary currents to reach a universal appeal.
Bacovia's poetry serves as an exquisite lesson in the relationship between reality and transformation, between mimesis and representation. He ingeniously theatricalizes not only suffering and tragic sentiment but also the world in its apparent unfolding.
The real is de-natured, projecting the internal landscape of the self and a dominant feeling of desolation onto the canvas of reality. The world becomes a cemetery, the landscape a tableau of death, the psyche a screen of terrifying evanescences, and the social environment a theater of perpetual poverty and unhappiness.
Everything functions as a whole; one exits depression only to enter another variant of it. The relationship between the interior and exterior deepens the sense of insecurity that dominates the subject.
Thou Art That is a compilation of previously uncollected essays and lectures by Joseph Campbell that focus on the Judeo-Christian tradition. Here, Campbell explores common religious symbols, reexamining and reinterpreting them in the context of his remarkable knowledge of world mythology. According to Campbell, society often confuses the literal and metaphorical interpretations of religious stories and symbols. In this collection, he eloquently reestablishes these metaphors as a means to enhance spiritual understanding and mystical revelation.
With characteristic verve, he ranges from rich storytelling to insightful comparative scholarship. Included is editor Eugene Kennedy’s classic interview with Campbell in The New York Times Magazine, which brought the scholar to the public’s attention for the first time.
Illuminations is a collection of prose poems by the great French Symbolist, Arthur Rimbaud (1854-1891). These poems have acquired enormous prestige among readers everywhere and have been a revolutionary influence on poetry in the twentieth century.
Rimbaud's Illuminations are presented here both in their original texts and in superb English translations by Louise Varèse. This edition also includes two additional series of prose poems, featuring two poems only recently discovered in France. The introduction by Miss Varèse discusses the complexities of Rimbaldien scholarship and the unique qualities of Rimbaud’s writing.
Rimbaud, known for his work A Season in Hell, wrote these prose poems during a period he described as filled with interest in hallucinations—"des vertiges, des silences, des nuits." These perceptions were captured by the poet in a beam of pellucid and strangely active language, illuminating unexplored aspects of experience and thought.