Music may be the universal language that needs no words-the language where all language ends, as Rilke put it-but that has not stopped poets from ancient times to the present from trying to represent it in verse.
Empathy is a defining trait of the characters in this collection, ranging from misfits to artists and children in a historical school. Fragos's poems, marked by clean and powerful lines, explore their inner lives with honesty and humility. The collection captures poignant moments, such as a young girl's reflections in a Venetian conservatory, highlighting shared human experiences. With themes of nature, music, myth, and dance, the work stands out for its graceful simplicity and emotional depth, making it a profound exploration of compassion.
Fragos's poetry showcases a distinctive voice that captivates readers, unbound by conventional constraints. Her work explores deep emotions and personal experiences, offering a fresh perspective on themes of identity and resilience. Through evocative language and imagery, she invites readers to engage with her inner world, making each poem a reflection of her individuality and artistic freedom.
well-known poems such as Keats's 'Ode on a Grecian Urn' and Auden's 'Musee de Beaux-Arts', Homer's immortal account of the forging of the Shield of Achilles and Garcia Lorca's breathtaking ode to the surreal paintings of Salvador Dali.
"Emily Fragos's poems are mysterious. Her songs make me confess to myself. In her poems, you find the God's honest truth like wildflowers. Her poems are ferocious and saintly (you must remember, one saint, Saint Julian, murdered his mother and father, not a problem with Emily). She is somehow self-born, which is my way of saying her poems are unique, singular, necessary--wonder-full poems, very good dogs." --Stanley Moss "Emily Fragos is a thin-skinned, tough-minded poet of this world. Her sensual sensibility is unrestrained by conventional perceptual grids. Her poems take us by surprise. . . . Fragos's trust in language is fruitful, justified. No word she writes is an advertisement for herself. We are enlarged by her resonant verbal imagination." --Marie Ponsot