EXTENDED REVIEW

Medusa (anthology), Edited by Steve Sneyd, 2005

Steve Sneyd is well known for his scholarship concerning genre poetry and for his distinctive writing style.  This is by no means the first book he has edited, but you rarely see an anthology of poetry with such a specific theme.  Perhaps only Steve could get away with that.  Medusa is remarkably diverse, attesting both to the fascination that the Medusa legend holds for writers and to the ambiguity of the legend itself, which gives free rein for experimentation in quite a few directions. 

The book is divided into six sections.  The first, UK Poets, accounts for a little more than half of the book.  The remainder consists of Overseas Poets, Notes, Contributor Data, Medusa in Poetry, and The Medusa Legend.  The notes were quite fascinating, and I found the brief summary of the legend comprehensive.  Every part of this book belongs.  Nine of the poems in this book were previously published, but that leaves thirty-three new in this publication.  I particularly like the graphic image of Medusa on the cover, which is by Andy Cocker.  Nearly two dozen small, stark images are scattered strategically through the book.  Disclaimer: one of the poems in this book is by me.

What if Medusa did not understand her power?  In "Medusa" by a. f. harrold, we encounter this:

Sometimes I hear movement -- the shifting aside of grass or

the pricking of thorn -- but when I investigate I find there

nothing but stonework and then chill night envelops me.

 This book explores many viewpoints and possibilities.  From "Medusa's Legacy," by John Light:

"It smiled at me,

the statue smiled."

to “Auto da fe” by Susie Reynolds:

At the trial Medusa was examined

Lost in coils they analyse

"Snakes = Lost Eden"

Her golden body, tossed

Oh my God, buy this book!  If you're like me you will not care for every poem in this anthology, but the aggregate is like a composite photograph.  Stand close to the picture and you see a myriad of individual small photographs, which may be quite unlike one another.  Step back far enough and you see the Medusa, emerging as the product of a subtle reaction among her multifarious parts.  DKM

Book availability:

Hilltop Press, 4 Nowell Place, Almondbury, Huddersfield, West Yorkshire HD5 8PB England, ISBN 0 905262 37 9, £3.99/$9, checks payable to S. Sneyd.