Siren

Siren, Kateri Lanthiers astonishing second book, calls us to attention. In her search for what she calls compelling melancholy, Lanthiers new poems not only draw on the ghazal's history as love poetry but remind readers of the dangerous and alluring quality of the ancient form itself. The siren was a lethal yet seductive figure, and that sense of powerand as well as her fast-taking bemusement at her own reputationis present in lines that marry unnerving dream logic to emotional fearlessness. Siren is an uncompromising achievement: an original style at once mysterious, witty and musical that refines and clarifies the world in consistently surprising ways. Call it playing with fire. Call it connect-the-dots lightning. See more