Book Review by Jarrod Campbell
A beautiful aspect of art is the never-ending cycle of influence and response. Even more beautiful is how medium means little to a true artist, whether in the role of influencer, (pardon the word and forget today’s vapid meaning, please and thank you), or as the responder. And then, where and when is this cyclical persuasion expected to end? Maybe once the original work only ends up serving as a tourniquet restricting the flow of vital circulation to the heart of the work as nourishment.
In Drew Pisarra’s latest book, “Fassbinder: His Movies, My Poems,” (Anxiety Press, 2024), he takes on the Herculean oeuvre of Rainer Werner Fassbinder as an inspiration that proves to be not only everlasting, but far-reaching – seeing its influence still continue an extension beyond film or essay. Poetry proves a perfect medium to grapple with the universal themes always haunting Fassbinder’s since the medium provides the expansive vision and imagination necessary to understand the source material as a springboard to reach glorious heights for impressive acrobatics. And Mr. Pisarra’s stunning verse upholds the notion that poetry can bring together Fassbinder’s expansive body of work while granting equal importance to the lesser-known works by allowing these to exist skillfully alongside their more popular counterparts.
First and foremost, the book stands firmly on its own merit as a book of poetry, even if the reader has no prior knowledge of Fassbinder. A primary perusal reveals a writer fully in control of his medium. The full spectrum of our human condition glows, whether the sentiment inspires, humor, fear, uncertainty, or joy. The work informs, entertains, amuses, reflects and instructs with equal ability. The opening poem, “Dear Rainer (a letter of appreciation), exists outside the subject’s work and can be read as an unrelated opening or fitting prologue, yes, but the piece gives real service as a reinforcement to the notion of cyclical influence by saying: “…dying doesn’t mean you’re done. Not really.” While some of the poems read as direct responses to their counterpart film, (“Love is Colder Than Death” is a literal recipe card-like poetic construction of the source material), others are inspired by a character, a plot point, or even simply a motif occurring in the film. Drew’s knowledgeable reverence of Fassbinder shines through with every poem, nonetheless. For this review, my process was to read the poem, read a synopsis of the source film, then re-read the poem. Just as Fassbinder’s work explores so many facets of the human condition, or the “exploitability of feelings,” to directly quote the director, similarly, Mr. Pisarra’s poetry proves beyond capable of tackling the topics of capitalism, love, loss, sexuality, death, and the infinite threads connecting all this to the world at large. One of Drew’s many powers is extracting the bare essence while also making the poem unique in its own right. The poems, again like the movies, have elements of melodrama with social criticism. In the poem, “A Merchant of Four Seasons,” we see it carry over the film’s essence to become a different yet similar parable. With “Ali: Fear Eats the Soul,” we dive deep behind the actor’s eyes to ask if she really knows the truth behind her lover’s eyes that “say one thing while regarding another. “Querelle,” (the film being the sweat-soaked and steam-filled spectacle that makes us love it), explodes the movie’s central action of fucking to examine the politics behind the pleasure and pain.
“Maybe because he’s so clearly wrestling with ideas around capitalism, sexism, classism, racism,” Mr. Pisarra said about this work when asked why he chose to focus on Fassbinder films in particular, “he’s engaged in a deep conversation that American culture is still resisting.” Drew’s work here, again like Fassbinder’s, shows no fear of getting down and dirty. The poem “Bremen Freedom” insists with the opening lines: “Wake up you effing son-of-a-bitch while you still have time to reinvent yourself.” Sound advice for a country always on the verge of slipping away, back into an inglorious past. “It won’t take long now before you discover how sorry you are about everything you’ve broken and beaten.” These opening lines again ring as another warning, while going on to suggest the possibilities of remorse while also commenting on how having no penitence dooms with the promise to repeat past mistakes. Brilliant impressions on celebrating the feminine shine through with the poem “Lola.” A celebration of a good mother’s role in the life of a young creative hits home for many a queer artist. And with “Veronika Voss,” Mr. Pisarra’s deep dive into the ability of an actor to effectively play a role, aren’t the questions asked in the poem also how society pelts women with unfair and unnecessary interrogations and requests for proof of validation?
“There is dark. There is light. There is right. There is wrong. Everything else is in between. Gray is the new technicolor.” Thus begins the closing of the above-mentioned “Veronika Voss,” and a perfect point to provide summary. The author has said that it wasn’t until he saw “The Marriage of Maria Braun” that he started writing poetry regularly. While seeing the film at a Fassbinder retrospective, he remembers being the only one who was laughing. He thought, “did I not get it?” But he loved the film and decided to write a poem inspired by it. Which also brings me to one final point, that of interpretation. Poetry is subjective with meanings often easy to overlook or misinterpret. Film regularly presents messages in broad strokes. Read the collection for yourself and decide how these poems relate to your life and the film. Of course not all of us live the fast-paced, drug and alcohol infused life of Rainer Werner Fassbinder, nor have such a breadth of human experience under our belts like the great director. These poems bring their own enlightenment. Take “Theatre in Trance,” an instructional poem to be read aloud as an incantation to induce transcendence. Then take “World on a Wire” which starts by stating that “This opinion is not acceptable,” and ends with the indication that “Acceptance will never set you free.” Further proof that personal experience, expression and analysis are always subjective in the end. But truths are truths and always shine through, whether brilliantly or subtly they eventually shed light.
Details about the book: Poems, Author: Drew Pisarra, ISBN:9798323355099, Anxiety Press, 2024, 97 pp
About the Reviewer
Jarrod Campbell is an author living in the Northern Virginia suburbs of Washington, DC. His work has appeared in Heavy Feather Review, Northwest Review, Wicked Gay Ways, and Roi Faineant, to name a few. His short story collection The Reason I’m Here (Stalking Horse Press, June 2023), was selected as an anticipated LGBTQIA+ read for June 2023 by Lambda Literary Review.
