Nection Design Design itibaren Vattapara, Kerala 685619, Hindistan
I'm the first reviewer of Lines from Neuchatel on Goodreads? Well, I'll try to do it justice. You know, he's slated to come to the Annual Book Festival at UCF in Orlando this Spring... Anyway. Lines from Neuchatel concerns the reflections of Peter Meinke and drawings by his wife of their lives in Neuchatel, Switzerland with their four children and eighteen Florida college students in 1971. Given this, it is easy to understand how most of the poems are dedicated to places and moments in Neuchatel. I consider the most striking aspect of his poetry in this piece to be his bilingualism between English and French. The going back and forth fluidly between the two came across as more interesting and captivating than off-putting and alienating, despite the fact that I haven't learned more than a few terse phrases in French my entire life. One poem worth mentioning for me would have to be from his “Afterword: 2009” section. The poem, entitled "Le Gorge de l’Areuse," concerns a moment in which Peter’s son slipped down a dangerous slope in one of the Swiss parks, ultimately ending up unscathed but having frightened his parents in the process. The poem is unique from the rest of the collection in that some of the lines repeat themselves invertedly (i.e., “No one told us fear is half of love / love of half is fear us told one no,”), but what makes this poem truly stand out in my mind is the imagery, and the connection of abstract nouns to concrete ones (i.e., “sifting through tears and scars of nightmares,” and “love and fear we feel tastes real as air”). Jeanne Meinke’s work either illustrates or compliments Peter’s poetry throughout this collection, and perhaps merits an equal amount of attention. Her pen and ink creations are all printed in black and white, with strong usage of straight lines to create shading, particularly by drawing many lines in one direction, and then drawing many more in a perpendicular fashion. While there are many landscapes to give a sense of the town, almost every single drawing includes some form of nature element, from potted plants to sullen swans, and even—once—a portrait of her husband writing in a park. Also, worth mentioning, I believe, is the font that they decided to use. While font choice appears to be a trivial concept in the considerations of poetry, I would argue that its choice helped to create the atmosphere of Neuchatel. It appears like any other font, except for the t’s, and the p’s when following another letter; these two manage something of a hanging treble clef that connects them at the top to the previous letter. The result is something of an antiquated charming look that is noticeable, but does not overpower the poetry or the prose in Peter Meinke’s afterward. As a writer, I feel as though Lines from Neuchatel truly emphasizes the beauty of sound in poetry, even when it's of a language we're not completely familiar with. Euphony is an important aspect of poetry that should not be forgotten, particularly if a person is shy and doesn't share their poetry readily with others. Read it to yourself. It may be worth it in the long run.