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by Richard Young (Author), Doug Haynes (Illustrator)
Few of us have lived a life as full of change as Richard Young. From his adolescence in Acton, West London in the 1960s through his time in Italy, Hong Kong, and then China, all the way to his later life in the States, watching his family grow, Young's life has been punctuated by major moves and heartaches, opportunities taken and forsaken, and lessons learned.
In this collection of memoiristic free-verse poems, Young's fascinating and cosmopolitan life is recounted, from teenagehood into his senior years. Organized into major sections lined up with major moves he made, Young tells his story chronologically-proceeding from his youth in Acton into his four years at Oxford, five teaching and traveling in Italy, then returning to teach and write back home in London. This is followed by a period in his thirties, when he moves to Hong Kong, then China, where he meets his wife, and wraps up with his family life in the US, as he watches his children age and family expand.
Many of these poems are meaningful, heartfelt expressions of desire, inspired by Young's belief in the Buddhist tenet that freedom from desire means freedom from suffering. Young draws on the rich tapestry of history, ancient myth, and the symbology of the various cultures to which he has a connection to examine the meaning of life-our shared experience and his own. In particular, Young has a penchant for drawing on the hexagrams of the I Ching, relating his poems back to their grounding in the four elements and the overarching energies that underwrite our experience and our world.
Accompanied by gorgeous illustrations by artist Doug Haynes, this collection is sure to make a vibrant, heartening addition to the shelves of anyone interested in poetry or memoir-especially those of us interested in mythology or symbology looking for a tale of an extraordinary life lived.
