The Man Who Lived Among The Cannibals by Laurie Robertson-Lorant. Spinner (48 pgs.)$12.95

When a friend sent me this book she'd picked-up at a book trade show and gave it a glowing review, I was skeptical. Sure, I was vaguely aware that Robertson-Lorant had written a Melville biography that was quite well received, I also was aware that she was a Dartmouth professor and career academic. I assumed a collection of poems written in the voice of Herman Melville, penned by a career academic would read much like similar experiments -- in other words, it was be nothing more than a dull, academic exercise. I am pleased to report that this is not the case.

The poems in this collection are skillfully written and quite imaginative. Not only does Ms. Rebertson-Lorant conjure Melville's voice and faithfully chronicles his past, she is also fearless as she stretches the Melville persona beyond the well-documented true episodes of his life. She doesn't just conjure his voice -- she conjures his spirit. I came away from this collection with a greater appreciation of Melville as a man and as a writer. I highly recommend this volume.

-- Reviewed by JCE