Synopses & Reviews
Poetry. "Louise Landis-Levi's pure intentions, and her uncompromising, heroic effort to realize the true nature of mind, make her poems a continuous stream of wisdom"—John Giorno.
Synopsis
THE BOOK L, LLL's second full length poetry book fr. Cool Grove consists of journal entries, poems & l essay - for the most part written on Isla Margarita, VE. while on retreat w. NN Rimpoche. Recalling predecessors Joanne Kyger & Philip Whalen (West Coast, USA) it develops themes of impermanence, romance & the dangers of elitism in (so calle) 3rd. world as its author inwardly explores the relation between 'community'( skt -sanga ) & the private communion which is thepoet s domain. The title is taken fr. the ground breaking work of Dutch Dadaist, Bert Schierbeck (HET BOEK IK) whose Zen Gardens, published in Amsterdam (& translated into English by Charles McGeehan) in the 1960 s was a semnal introduction of Buddhist thought & practice to the Avant Guard. The Book L, 2005 selections of which are available on line at Otoliths & Melancholia s Tremulous Dreadlocks (see http: //the-otolith.blogspot.com/2006/07/louise-landes-levi-nine-sections-from.html & http: //mtdmagazine.tripod.com/louiselandeslevi.htm)is followed, in this generous offering of the poet's work by excerpts fr. HOTEL GAIA a collection of retreat & other poems, written primarily in Toscana, IT.(1985-1995) & dedicated to poet visive Franco Beltrametti ( translator of Han Shan s COLD MOUNTAIN into Italian - ) & A Spiritual Autobiography, the author's short autobiographical essay ( W. Palm Beach - NYC 2001). The entire volume will follow in Cool Grove s tradition of illustrated text, see LLL s previous GURU PUNK, Cool Grove Pr., 1999 & Sweet On My Lips, The Love Poems of Mira Bai, translated fr. the Medieval Hindi, 1997. Cover Art Barbara Mohr, collage & LLL, fr. postcard series, Isla M., 2006
About the Author
Louise Landes Levi is a poet, translator, musician, and traveler. Born on Manhattan Island, she now lives in Bagnore, Grosseto, Italy, and on an island to the East of Caracas, Isla Margarita.