Bøger af Rex Sexton

Artists live where all dreams end. Truth, illusion are a dance of apparitions. In "Paper Moon" aspiring artist Ithiel Ingbar is on a quest, both disturbing and deadly, to unravel the complexities which make us human. What he discovers is a game changer, not only for his own life but all of humankind, a venture in which almost no one is, but everyone can be a winner.

No fairy tale kingdom, rarely a happy ending, the players in "Night Without Stars" find that the dark beyond those wishes they made as children is all lfe has granted them - The Great Recession.

This anthology is a collection of poems, stories and paintings by acclaimed writer and artist Rex Sexton (1946-2015). Some of the works were previously published in the highly-praised collections: The Time Hotel, Night Without Stars, Constant is the Rain and X-Ray Eyes. Others presented here are new works never published before within a collection. Sexton's outlook was fatalistic and dark, as reflected in his poetry, short stories and paintings. Nevertheless, his love of life and its mysteries were limitless. He revered nature and the complexities of the universe, which provided optimism in a world riddled by strife. His empathy for the poor and disenfranchised was boundless and this quality is reflected in his writings and art. Of one of his stories in Night Without Stars: "The palette is Edward Hopper's, the ironic tone O. Henry's. 'Our Town' playfully affirms Thornton Wilder's morbid vision through gloomy imagery. The poems (are) rich with alliteration, internal rhymes, assonance and puns ... They have broader application, universalizing human depravity ...Sexton's talent for social commentary and character sketching marks him as - in a title he gives a character in 'Chop Suey' - the Modigliani of the Mean Streets" Kirkus Reviews. Also of Night Without Stars: "There is a wild beauty behind the 'lullaby' of hopelessness described in so many of this collection's poems ... The joy of the collection is that it contains not just poetry but also prose and painting. This collision of forms pushes the reader to see poverty, hopelessness, and survival in many different perspectives ... Amidst the dark reality of life, there is hope that future generations 'can have a better life, ' one full of stars, dreaming, and light." Lisa Bower ForeWord Clarion Reviews Of his novel Paper Moon: "Renowned surrealist painter Rex Sexton is also a highly-regarded writer, imbuing his fiction and poetry with the same startling vision and mastery he displays in his artwork. His newest novel, Paper Moon, dazzles with words, just as his paintings do with form and color ..." Cheryl Hibbard ForeWord Reviews

"Want is need. Want is greed. Want is poor. Want wants more." More hard times in tough places, "Constant is the Rain" is a new collection of recession era poems and stories. Nationally acclaimed author Rex Sexton is the recipient of The Eric Hoffer Editor's Choice Award for Prose, Best New Writing 2007 for "Holy Night." Editorial Reviews Review "Relentless pessimism about the state of the nation infuses Sexton's ... accomplished poetry and short fiction ... The title piece, about hard life and untimely death in the ghetto, introduces the book's dark atmosphere: 'Being and begetting, struggling and/ enduring ... as gunfire crackles and sirens wail/ and her fate is sealed with coffin nails.' Sexton's characters - Nowhere Men as much as Everymen - are war veterans, hobos, sex workers, and blue-collar employees facing job losses ... His settings are urban wastelands. In 'The Penworn Papers' an impoverished artist recalls his degenerate life ... in 'The Gift, ' a Jewish satire redolent of Shalom Auslander, a young man reverts to emptiness in his old age ... The palette is Edward Hopper's, the ironic tone O. Henry's. 'Our Town' playfully affirms Thornton Wilder's morbid vision through gloomy imagery. The poems (are) rich with alliteration, internal rhymes, assonance and puns ... They have broader application, universalizing human depravity ...Sexton's talent for social commentary and character sketching marks him as - in a title he gives a character in 'Chop Suey' - the Modigliani of the Mean Streets" Kirkus Reviews "Earnest and emotional, Constant is the Rain embraces desperation in tone, subject, and even in diction. A yearning for meaning in a nonsensical world comes to shape much of the text, forming the image of a people and a country existing without any defined meaning. "Sexton's poetry generally forms isolated scenes of hardship and makes up the bulk of the work. 'Like crucifixion crosses dangling weary ghosts, / the telephone poles along the lost roads of America/ flash past me.' These images, producing small segments of reality, combine to show the complete picture of a fragmented people looking for solace in a world of hard truths. From the individual seeking understanding to the drug addict seeking a reprieve from existence, the characters are ... easily recognizable and empathetic figures. "Complimenting Sexton's poetry is not only prose but his artwork ... most impressive about the prose ... is the continued attention to detail in diction and syntax ... the result is a work accessible to all ... that imparts a feeling that is for the people rather than simply about them." Alex Franks Foreward Reviews