Author and critic Stewart Cole has published a review of the book Wedding in Fire Country (Nightwood Editions), a poetry collection by Darren Bifford, on his blog, The Urge. The review praises the collection's coherence, and its subdued and understated verse, which Cole calls "refreshing." The review is extensive, covering the gamut of the collection's poems and including several excerpts from the book. Through the piece, Cole's criticism remains nuanced and deep.
Some poems initially read like merely skillful anecdotes, while others effect quite startling shifts into the surreal, and it is the interplay between these two poetics – earnest anecdotalism and searching aestheticism – that defines this collection: Bifford tells stories about his life while striving, as an artist, not to bore us with stories about his life.
You can check out the full review, along Cole's others, on his blog, The Urge.
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