______________________________________________________
finally, the debut collection from the criminally underrated Amado Bajarias is coming out! sometime later this month or early september. cover design pa lang wasak na wasak na!
"Amado Bajarias’ debut collection of poems heralds a Philippine poetics that chugs along with the rumble of the city’s decrepit trains, on the way to the gentle twittering of countryside aviaries. Inasmuch as the collection’s title Pepsi Tastes Funny When It’s Christmas Eve and You’re Alone Eating Canned Tuna is already a mouthful, the poems here likewise thrive on a kilometric and crafty gathering of modern wit, irony, and understatement. Within these pages are haiku-ish commentaries, Gonzo reprimands, and lots of longing for missed pets.
In many places reminiscent of both Bukowski and Simic, Bajarias’ often surreal and sardonic lyric is wide awake and dilated, forever poking and plucking at both the living and the inanimate (the departed?). The poet takes his sweet time digging for leftover bones and loves in rambunctious urban landscapes. And, whenever he gets tired of the act, there is always the great soda in his system insisting that the apartment door is always open, and there are miles and miles to go before he sleeps."
-- JMT
***
***
the first review and a little interview re: chiaroscuro is out, over at the abs-cbn news website. muchas gracias to Ramil Gulle for the kind words.
also, the poem "Sun in Empty Room" came out in this week's issue of the Philippines Free Press. Many thanks to Sarge Lacuesta. btw, the awarding of the 2007 Free Press Literary Awards will be on August 27.
