5 Satires

Satire in its original sense meant a dish filled with fruits, some sharp, some bitter, some acid, all stinging and pungent. In his 5 Satires, Arnold Klein revives this idea of satire, presenting a vivid and unsentimental mix of personal experience, romantic autobiography, and public events remarkable for its insight, verve and stylistic mastery. In precise, powerful couplets, Klein treats the crises of his times and life not merely in their contemporary and autobiographical dimensions, but under the aspect of eternity, redefining as he does so both the nature and vocation of poetry. These five poems achieve a level of lyrical cohesiveness and analytic depth rarely seen in contemporary letters. Ruthless and unsparing, 5 Satires is a portrait of the age, of all ages, and of the artist himself.