Phil Constable

Phil Constable is an experienced writer, editor, and document designer who runs his own information design business and has been a reviewer for the NY Journal of Books since its inception. He has written on authors as diverse as Sir Philip Sydney, T. S. Eliot, Yeats, William Golding, Sylvia Plath, Kazuo Ishiguro, Seamus Heaney, Jackie Kay, and John Banville.
Mr. Constable is passionate about poetry and drama, and has had a life-long love affair with the novel. Phil has post-graduate qualifications in English literature and in Information Design. He is particularly interested in world literature, especially poetry, and the way diverse regional voices reflect cultural/societal differences.

Book Reviews by Phil Constable

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“. . . a strong collection by a talented poet.”

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“. . . a wonderful glimpse into the life of this highly regarded and talented artist.”

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“All told, Joan Frank has not disgraced herself by any means, nor has she created anything to enhance her very good reputation.

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“. . . an important historical work of fiction.

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This is a fantastic collection from a poet with a wonderful authentic voice.

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A Measuring Worm

This yellow-striped green
Caterpillar, climbing up
The steep window screen,

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Charles Simic has been around for along time and has seen a great deal. He was born in Belgrade in 1938 and his early years were spent, with his family, as displaced people in war-torn Europe.

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Outlaw is an apt title for this definitive collection of the works of Miguel Piñero.

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We crave radiance in this austere world,
light in the spiritual darkness.
Learning is the one perfect religion,
its path correct, narrow, certain, straight.

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Joe Hill’s Horns is an assured second novel from a well credentialed, award-winning, author.

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Tears of the Mountain follows Jeremiah McKinley as he negotiates the Centennial Independence Day, July 4, 1876.

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Ophelia Field was born in Australia to American parents and now lives in London with her partner and children.

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This is Benjamin Percy’s first novel following his successful short story collections Refresh, Refresh (Graywolf, 2007) and The Language of Elk (Carnegie Mellon, 2006).

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The fine and noble tradition of protest poetry is in safe, strong hands with this latest collection from Thomas Sayers Ellis.

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Bloomsbury, February 2008

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 Maile Chapman shows her immense talent and potential in this mesmerizing, hallucinatory foray into the psyche of patients and staff at Suvanto, a remote hospital in Finland.

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Unconvincing and disappointing are two adjectives that come to mind when describing Michael Schiefelbein’s latest novel Vampire Maker.

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 There is much richness and beauty contained in this very short book. Shibli has an exquisite grasp of language that allows her to say a vast amount without writing much at all.

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 In The Magicians, Lev Grossman has created a whole new world that will appeal to fantasy buffs and mainstream readers alike.

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This is a new publication of a mid-twentieth century work that will introduce a whole new generation to one of the greatest adventure stories ever.

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All set in the space of a day, The Infinities tells a tale of the Godleys as they gather at Arden, the family home, at the sick bed of Adam, the husband and father.

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 This is the final installment of the Last Round-Up trilogy that began in 1999 with A Star Called Henry and continued with 2004’s Oh, Play That Thing. Spanning nearly the

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Knopf, March 2006

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This is indeed a subversive book. In it Dean Young pushes the point that poetry is not a craft or a discipline or even a job: poetry is a compulsion.

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 That these poems are so simple to read is an indication of the labor and talent that went into writing them.

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the inciting incident
Scene: Arc d’ Triumph. Jude Law meets Gabriel

Garcia Marquez, calls him Gabo.

Marquez slaps the boy and calls him puta,

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Losing Camille is a good example of what it is to be a talented writer. Paul Kilgore sensitively explores the intricacies of everyday America in this diverse assortment of tales.

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Margaret Hawkins is a Chicago writer and art critic. She has contributed to ARTnews and Chicago’s WBEZ public radio station. She also had a long-running column in the Chicago Sun-Times.

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In this eclectic collection, Milan Kundera addresses a broad range of subjects.