Parliament of poets, the

Thirty years in the making, The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem, by Frederick Glaysher, takes place partly on the moon, at the Apollo 11 landing site, the Sea of Tranquility, a Journey towards healing the psyche of the planet. Apollo, the Greek god of poetry, calls all the poets of the nations, ancient and modern, East and West, to assemble on the moon to consult on the meaning of modernity. The Parliament of Poets sends the Persona on a Journey to the seven continents to learn from all of the spiritual and wisdom traditions of humankind. On Earth and on the moon, the poets teach him a new global, universal vision of life. One of the major themes is the power of women and the female spirit across cultures. Another is the nature of science and religion, including Quantum Physics, as well as the ?two cultures,? science and the humanities. All the great shades appear at the Apollo 11 landing site in the Sea of Tranquility: Homer and Virgil from the Greek and Roman civilizations; Dante, Spenser, and Milton hail from the Judeo-Christian West; Rumi, Attar, and Hafez step forward from Islam; Du Fu and Li Po, Basho and Zeami, step forth from China and Japan; the poets of the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana meet on that plain; griots from Africa; shamans from Indonesia and Australia; Murasaki Shikibu, Emily Dickinson, and Jane Austen, poets and seers of all Ages, bards, rhapsodes, troubadours, and minstrels, major and minor, hail across the halls of time and space. That transcendent Rose symbol of our age, the Earth itself, viewed from the heavens, one world with no visible boundaries, metaphor of the oneness of the human race, reflects its blue-green light into the darkness of the starry universe. Reviews A great epic poem of startling originality and universal significance, ingeniously enriching the canon of 'literary epics' while in every way partaking of the nature of world literature. ...Glaysher is in a creative dialog with the greatest epic poets of all time. He is bringing together in beautiful verse form...diverse visions of humanity from all over the world. ...frequently casting them in the form of spatial and cosmic imagery. That is very exalting to the reader's spirit. ...the 'oneness' of humankind in a different light. ...a pure joy. ...a literary work of fine verbal art. ...contemporary 'world literature' at its best. ?Dr. Hans-George Ruprecht, CKCU Literary News, Carleton University, Ottawa, Canada And a fine major work it is. ?Arthur McMaster, Converse College, Department of English, South Carolina; Contributing Editor, Poets' Quarterly I found this book to be up to the standards set by Homer. ...This book also is very thought provoking as it brings into question what humanity is doing to the Earth and each other. ?LibraryThing, Texas Very readable and intriguingly enjoyable. Frederick Glaysher's hours of dedication have produced a masterpiece that will stand the test of time. ?Poetry Cornwall, No.36, England But possibly even the ambition of these [Odysseus Elytis and Derek Walcott] isdwarfed by what is attempted here.?Graham Mummery,Amazon UK Review? The main story is an interesting proposition, that maybe it is poets and philosophers, rather than activists and politicians, who can ultimately help transform this world into something better. ?Mr. P. J. Morris, Amazon UK An attempt to merge the sciences and the humanities to reach a greater understanding of the human condition. ...the poetry and language is rather beautiful. ...it?s really very readable. ?Chris Hislop, Savage, London It only takes the first few paragraphs of this modern epic poem to feel the mental gush of ideas, fascinating juxtapositionings, and unique symbolism for our time.... The reader travels with the epic poem?s narrator, and hero, the Persona, exploring their journey throughout the seven continents ? and transcending space and time - in order to acquire wisdom from mankind. In the case of the Persona, much of the struggle and the obstacles relate to whether or not he can find his way, or know himself. It is perhaps not a surprise, then, that The Parliament of Poets discusses a cross-cultural milieu, especially given Glaysher?s vast and varied experiences in his own life. ?Dave Gordon, The Jewish Post and News, Winnipeg, Canada This is a uniquely powerful work that introduces an established and powerful literary tradition to a world that is in desperate need of its essential rhythms and harmonies for spiritual sustenance. ?Spirituality Today The purpose of the spiritual journey of the Poet of the Moon is to seek deliverance of the modern human from the captivity of nothingness, nihilism and atheism, and from the resulting chaos and chasm of soul. From the versatile he gets scores of life-affirming lessons, yet the core meaning of all is that the Supreme Being as well as the earth is one, and so human beings are one nation irrespective of their clan, class, color, race, religion and gender. In this earth human beings are part of the Great Mystery?s creation and their duty is to keep the balance and harmony of the universe, to achieve union, to choose sacrifice, and to be self-controlled. In this manner Glaysher sings the song of ?one Earth, without borders, Mother Earth, her embrace encircling one people, humankind? (19)?. The lucid and placid feet of the language moves deftly and smoothly from the beginning up to the last line of the poem. Bravo to the Poet for this toilsome but brilliant endeavour. ?Umme Salma, Transnational Literature, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia The review [by Umme Salma] has evocatively summed up the stylistic and thematic magnificence of 'The Parliament of Poets: An Epic Poem.' A contemporary classic! Highly recommended for reading. ?Nishat Haider, Associate Professor, Lucknow University, Lucknow, India The Parliament of Poetsis one of the most important books of our time. In this grand sweeping epic, Glaysher has managed to live up to the task given to him by The Parliament of Poets. ...a new vision for humanity; one of Unity and Oneness of humankind. ...synthesizing and integrating the great thinkers of all time. ...a tangible vision of our shared humanity. ...an impassioned plea that we WAKE UP before we destroy ourselves and our one precious planet. ...an inspired epic that integrates the ancient wisdom teachings of the world's greatest wisdom teachers and poets. ...a new vision and sense of responsibility towards our shared humanity.An impassioned plea on behalf of humanity that reaches down and grabs the human longing for the Awakened Heart.?Tina Benson,Amazon Review;Goodreads, California You know how on space probes they have these little goodie bags full of things. It is my feeling that they should include a copy of The Parliament of Poets, because you give this overview, this panorama of the best of human civilization, the voice of her poets, the voice of her dreamers and thinkers, and done it with great honor to each of them, and so I do want to commend your book to our listeners. Don't be intimidated by an epic poem. It's really coming back to that image of the storyteller sitting around the campfires of the world, dipping into and weaving the story of humanity, in the most beautiful, mellifluous language. So kudos to you, sir! Thirty years were not wasted. If anybody listening has contacts to NASA... ?Miriam Knight, for New Consciousness Review radio I was so impressed with The Parliament of Poets. ...I love the vision of Apollo calling all poets and wise people to the moon to debate the meaning of modernity. I mean it's such a contemporary question and it's so deliciously wrapped in history and culture, and the poet, the persona character, he travels many journeys to find the answers to the meaning of modernity. ...so the vision, essentially, is one of a global vision. ...amazing, wonderful book. ?Julie Clayton, for New Consciousness Review radio In the classic epic poem, the hero suffers many challenges, meets many obstacles, and experiences what Joseph Campbell described as the Hero?s journey.... A hero must meet obstacles, and in the case of the Persona, the obstacles are both internal and external?very Jungian is our hero. The quest for individuation or the coming together in wholeness, is evident as we, the readers/listeners follow the trials and travels of our hero. ...beautiful book. ?Dr. Catherine Al-Meten, The Examiner, Portland, Oregon Most of the contemporary poets and critics claim that epic is not suitable for our modern age. But Frederick Glaysher has proven them wrong.... He has shown that if a poet has true dedication, if he has unshakable belief in humanity, spirituality and overall progress of human beings, if he hasn't already surrendered himself to the ugliness of decadence, it is possible for him to write an epic, even in modern age. The Parliament of Poets has all the grandeur, all the loftiness and qualities which make an effort for an epic a true epic. In essence, The Parliament of Poets is a song of unity, an audacious declaration that unity does not mean conformity, it means being in harmony. The poet himself is the main character of this epic poem, who travels to the moon, meets a large number of great poets and writers of the world, comes back to earth to have some glimpses of bygone times. Throughout the entire journey, many poets, writers, sages guide the poet and share their invaluable knowledge and insights.... ?Ratul Pal, Bangladesh, Goodreads Glaysher...has shown...that with the right subject matter and the right language, one can create an epic poem even in today's age. ...a beautiful poem that falls off the tongue smoothly. ...an excellent piece of poetry. ?Nana Fredua-Agyeman, ImageNations, Accra, Ghana, Africa Awesome is not a grand enough word to describe the timeless brilliance of these words.?Donna Surles,Amazon Review Certainly wowed the crowd at the library with the performance and the words themselves. ?Albany Poets News, New York About the Author Frederick Glaysher is an epic poet, poet-critic, and the author or editor of ten books.He studied writing under a private tutorial, at the University of Michigan, with the poet Robert Hayden and edited both Hayden's Collected Prose (University of Michigan Press) and his Collected Poems (Liveright). He holds a bachelor's and a master's degree from the University of Michigan, the latter in English. At the college and university level, he taught rhetoric, American and non-Western literature, humanities, world religions, etc., for ten years. He lived for more than fifteen years outside Michigan--in Japan, where he taught at Gunma University in Maebashi; in Arizona, on the Colorado River Indian Tribes Reservation, site of one of the largest internment camps for Japanese-Americans during WWII; in Illinois, on the central farmlands and on the Mississippi; ultimately returning to his suburban hometown of Rochester. A Fulbright-Hays scholar to China in 1994, he studied at Beijing University, the Buddhist Mogao Caves on the old Silk Road, and elsewhere in China, including Hong Kong and the Academia Sinica in Taiwan. While a National Endowment for the Humanities scholar in 1995 on India, he further explored the conflicts between the traditional regional civilizations of Islamic and Hindu cultures and modernity. He has been an outspoken advocate of the United Nations, an accredited participant at the UN Millennium Forum (2000), and attended the UNA Members Day 2012 on the Millennium Development Goals, held in the General Assembly Hall.