Apocrypha

This debut collection of sonnets explores the cryptic personality of Jesus of Nazareth. Reimagining pivotal moments in his life story from unlikely perspectives--including those of Joseph, Mary Magdalene, Lazarus, a Pharisee, and even Satan--the poems invite deeper engagement with the Gospel narrative. Jesus emerges from this mosaic-like treatment as a conscientious friend, steely reformer, and inspired poet--as well as an ordinary, troubled man. With lyrical nuance and intensity, Apocrypha brings to life the shadowy past of an iconic figure. Its humane vision speaks equally to believers and atheists, to theologians and lay readers, to students of history and lovers of poetry. With the exception of the New Testament itself, I'm unable to recall another work in verse that relates the life of Christ more movingly than David Southward does in this remarkable sonnet series. The story's wrenching beauty is of course deeply familiar to us all, yet Southward manages to reconstruct it by blending traditional prosody with our own contemporary English lexicon, thus making it new--and newly memorable. --Marilyn L. Taylor. Wisconsin Poet Laureate, Emerita David Southward creates, with a series of sure-footed sonnets, a life of Christ in many human voices: of Jesus, Joseph, Mary, Mary Magdalene, Peter, James, Judas, an unnamed Pharisee, a Roman soldier, and even the Devil. With curious attention and gentle irony, in these poems Southward composes a Gospel of his own. --James Najarian, Boston College David Southward teaches in the Honors College at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee. His award-winning poems have appeared in Light, Measure, The New Verse News, The Other Journal, Verse-Virtual, and elsewhere. To read more of his work visit davidsouthward.com.