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Title: Underworld, 1-2 by William James Austin ISBN: 1-884970-00-1 Publisher: S Press Pub. Date: 1994 Format: Paperback List Price(USD): $10.00

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Average Customer Rating: 5 (3 reviews)

Rating: 5
Summary: Cartographer of Hell
Comment: I think the first word that comes to mind when reading Austin's Underworld series is the poet's driving ambition. These are ambitious poems written in the grand manner of Hart Crane, David Jones and other heroic first and second generation modernists. I applaud this aspect of Austin's work. He attempts to give us a complete vision of the violence and depravity of the city--and sometimes its glimpses of beauty and human courage. Austin is at his best in this first volume, I believe. The Inferno Section pages 39--50 is a remarkable tour de force and should earn this poet his rightful place in the Norton Anthologies of the 21st century. The other volumes, to my mind, continue the theme, but much as an echo of the original thunderclap (although still worth a read for the sharp eye and language). All in all, William J. Austin is an exceptional talent, and a rare one, in these days when p.c. sentiments, simple-minded writing, fizzling fragments, and/or studied obscurantisms can earn one a position as "poet in residence" at XYZ U.

Rating: 5
Summary: Is this Austin for real?
Comment: They say I got a thousand words to get out what I will about William James Austin, but I only need one: Reality. Gritty, grimy, gallant and golden, I love William James Austin. I came upon this man after seeing him at a reading when I was in New York on layover for a flight, and I decided to go out and buy Underworld 1 & 2. It didn't let me down. I don't read much poetry, but if I did, it'd be more Austin. It's the best Under___ since Dostoevsky. Does anyone know any other writers out there like him? I'd like to get it. I'll write again when I'm done with Underworld 3 & 4. Let's hope Austin kept it up.

Rating: 5
Summary: Ever wonder what happened to NYC's underground? Bingo!
Comment: First introduced to Austin's work through Underworld 3 & 4, I thought I'd give his first book a try. Wow! Underworld 1 & 2 is every bit as disturbing as its follow-up, if not more so. This is one hell of a trip through one man's nightmares. One of the two long poems in the book, "inferno," tracks a junkie's search for a fix through the city's underbelly. The margin notes loosely connect the action to Dante's own journey through the nine levels of hell. It seems that our protagonist is hunting for a piece of heaven not only for himself, but also for his girlfriend who is an amputee. Rough trade here, but brilliantly constructed. The imagery alone is unbelievably rich. This is New York poetry at its best. The back cover tells us that Austin was nominated for the Pushcart Prize by Richard Kostelanetz. Can work this distrubing win prizes? Well, Austin did win an Allen Ginsberg Prize. Watch out, Austin--with the recent flap over the Brooklyn Museum of Art's "Sensation" exhibit, the goon squad may be coming for you next.