Description
Book SynopsisIn his impressive third volume, Peter Carlaftes digs into the beauty—and lunacy—of contemporary culture and its tendency to masque and disrupt the sustainability not just of the planet, but human nature itself.
The poems in Life in the Past Lane are both daring and discreet, ranging from full frontal assaults on political and religious cults to tender, discerning, intimate studies of the challenges of self-faith, relationships and maintaining quiet equilibrium in the noisy space of modern life.
Risk-taking and endlessly innovative, Carlaftes offers poems that dare to ask questions to which there is no answer, and to answer the unasked. It looks at the past clear-eyed, without reverence, and studies the place in the road where we are now, weaving cultural and personal memory with the currency that too-often ignores how we arrived. This extraordinary collection, relentlessly accessible, surprises with the depth of poems and the clarity of the thoughts, concepts, and execution that forged them.
Trade ReviewHigh Praise for Peter Carlaftes
“When I first read the title, Life in the Past Lane, the new poetry collection by Peter Carlaftes, I assumed that these poems would focus on his life-story. In fact the poems do recount moments in the poet’s life from birth to the present. The echo in the title of life lived in a “fast lane” is, however, no accident. Carlaftes’ life has been and still is a one lived on the edge, with plenty of bare-knuckle scrapes, both literally and metaphorically. But when I came to the end of this collection I knew that the most important word in the title is “Life.” These poems brim with vitality and are charged with a restless energy, a perhaps reckless curiosity, and above all a joy—despite hardships-- in being alive. Whatever lane you find yourself in, you can trust these poems, because Carlaftes brings us a clear-eyed and hard-earned affirmation of life itself.” —Fred Marchant, author, Said Not Said (Graywolf Press)
“Life in the Past Lane rollicks through the poet's childhood, family history, rebellious youth, San Francisco, New York City, fatherhood, broken relationships, and finding love. Creative and existential restlessness marks the life of this man. ‘Even the solution/ is part of the problem,’ he observes at one point in this book. Peter Carlaftes is an energetic, generous, and anarchic poet. His iconoclasm is priceless.” —Uche Nduka, author, Scissorwork and Bainbridge Island Notebook
“I love Peter Carlaftes’ Life in the Past Lane, a stunning work of memoir rendered in totally original poetry. You won't find any of the artifices of academic verse here. This is real. These are to-the-bone poems. I'll be rereading Life in the Past Lane for years to come.” W.K. Stratton, author, Dreaming Sam Peckinpah Quintet and Los Angeles Times bestseller The Wild Bunch
“Step aside, Algren, Kerouac, Bukowski. This is Carlaftes through and through, front and center, in the flesh, riding the mortal coil and real as it gets.” —Richard Loranger, author, Mammal
“Life in the Past Lane by Peter Carlaftes is an open heart bursting with humor, candor, a wink and a smile and a good stiff shot of scotch from the razor's edge and back again. A Runyonesque It's a Wonderful Life cab ride on the wild side from coast to coast.” —S.A. Griffin, author, Pandemic Soul Music
“From the highs of joy and love to the lows of heartbreak and contemplation, these poems capture the essence of a life fully lived. Life in the Past Lane is a poetic odyssey that embraces the beauty in vulnerability and offers a profound connection to the shared experience of being human.” —Richard Modiano, Director Emeritus Beyond Baroque Literary/Arts Center, Winner of the 2022 Joe Hill Prize for Labor Poetry
“Peter Carlaftes' poems are stories that bring you into his life from his beginning thru his childhood, fun and entertaining, faster than on the road of prosaic tail lights. A shift into high.” —Charles Plymell, author, Benzedrine Highway
"Peter Carlaftes' poetry reports with a quirky innocence that belies its sophisticated awareness. He knows what he's doing while making it seem effortless." —Marc Olmsted, author, Don't Hesitate: Knowing Allen Ginsberg
“Carlaftes is always seeking the truth and how to make dreams come true. And while he learns very early on that life pours its drinks strong, he also understands there are days when a birdsong can save our lives.” —Rich Ferguson, author, Everything Is Radiant Between the Hate
Past Praise for Peter Carlaftes
"Audacious." The New York Times
"If Dr. Moreau fused the ungovernable souls of Beckett and Genet, he'd have created Peter Carlaftes.” —Michael Puzzo, Playwright, Dirty Talk, Lyric is Waiting
“Spiked with dark humor, wise-cracks and moments of deep caring it’s hard not to appreciate.” —Richard Vetere, author, The Writers Afterlife
“Challenging and cerebral work . . . A great addition to any collection.” —John Clancy, playwright, League of Independent Theater
“Cries out Ultramodern—and that it delivers with unflinching scrutiny. . .” —San Francisco Bay Guardian
“As with Strindberg, Beckett, or even Sartre—Carlaftes’ message seems to be something we intuit . . . like music.” —SF Weekly
