THE MARCHES

by James Scully ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 11, 1967

In poetry, finding one's own tone and subject is what most often divides bards into major and minor figures. Scully is a young, decidedly minor poet, who for all his technical polish, taste, and handsomely controlled imagery, has yet to establish a dominant thrust either in feeling or dramatic line. ""The Glass Blowers,"" one of his admired pieces, is as pictorially clever as something out of Moss or Swenson, manipulating finelymeshed descriptive particulars with slight lyric Undulations, rather like the glass blower himself, the maker of pretty objects and clear-eyed visions. Scully touches upon the dark and upsetting incident, there are snapshots of contemporary distress, symbolic landscapes and wry sketches-but generally the application throughout tends towards a much too neutral elegance and low-keyed musing. The finest achievement here is a moodwandering memorial on the death of the poet's seven-month old son, beautifully capturing an inner, intricate sensitivity and effortless flow of poignant details, largely lacking in this discreet first volume.

Pub Date: Sept. 11, 1967

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Holt, Rinehart & Winston

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1967

Categories: NONFICTION