Carnivora: Poems by Keith Finan

A remarkable book of poetry—written in rhymed quatrains—that explores themes of violence, beauty, sexuality, and morality. Collecting over a decade of the author’s work, Carnivora is divided into three sub-books (“Retrogression,” “Moroccan Sunsets,” and “Shadow-Craft”) each of which references a historical period: Ancient Greece, Ancient Rome, and the European Middle Ages. Each book also addresses a different phase of the author’s varied career: as a soldier stationed near Korea’s De-Militarized Zone, as a teacher at a Moroccan university, and as a post-9/11 intelligence officer for the Pentagon. The result is a poetic odyssey that spans continents, cultures, and vast chronological gulfs. Eschewing the modern preoccupation with free verse, the book relies on older poetic forms for its structure. Yet while poetry’s epic tradition is referenced throughout, the poems themselves are thoroughly lyric and contemporary. At turns thrillingly savage and deeply compassionate, these poems are the careful work of a serious artistic voice. Embrace their violent beauty and power.