Readers Report
Author: Tony Kaplan
Title: The November Tree
Date: 26th June 2008
Dear Kaplan
This collection is the collected and distilled poetic work of a considerable talent. It was a welcome surprise to encounter it; whether it should be considered as personal or general, as spiritual, or as verse of emotion, or as commentary does not matter; because Tony Kaplan’s varies, textured writing is all these things and more, from the elegiac note of “A Philosophical Fool” to the witty, complex approach of “A Zig-Zag Walking Man”.
It is not all an “easy read”; there is irony(“Mosquito Catching in Venice”, “Royal Ascot Hat Race”), but also an appreciation of texture and richness, and this duality seems to be quite a big part of Kaplan’s creative matrix. This is a very coherent group of writing; the singer has one voice throughout but many tones. It is often intellectually demanding.
I particularly liked the narrative strength of each poem; each one is almost a novel, in content; they contain a world in a grain of sand. The verbal felicities are noticeable and can be found on nearly every page. “Moon Tower” is full of colour and texture.
This collection is very complete; the work is mature, the language musical. Every piece seems created and crafted with care. It is almost composed rather than written. Although we always go through a book carefully, editorially, when we proof, because “typos” can slip in, it would almost be an insult to this work to suggest the alteration. of a word.
We will certainly offer a proposal for this individual and really quite important book. There is a market for original verse in the USA and if we proceed with this project, we will publish both in the UK and the USA.
Mark Sykes
Editor-In-Chief
Athena Press