The Death of Sardanapalus and Other Poems of the Iraq Wars

The Death of Sardanapalus and Other Poems of the Iraq Wars by David Ray is a work of political exposÈ, heartfelt opposition to a tragic, avoidable leap into the atrocities of an illegal war—planned months before September 11th and the lies began—and offers Ray's own grief, artistic outrage, and compassion toward the muse of history, whose scorched pages overflow with the suffering and anguish of countless innocent victims. Ray has produced a literary shrine elegantly carved from the bloody stone of war—a litany and lament of such lasting clarity and poignancy as to bring tears to the eyes of those dead who gave their lives, and give them daily, that the truth and humanity of our species should prevail in the face of totalitarian political machines and propaganda. Selected from literally hundreds of Ray's poems written daily over a period of corrupt national policy and disinformation as it transpired the years 2000-2004, The Death of Sardanapalus may well stand to posterity as a cultural landmark of such illuminative courage that it will continue to speak truth to power for generations to come. It is a work of rare force, truth, and beauty that belongs in every public library, every school room, every university class, and in the collections of freedom-loving people in every nation. It is a model of achievement for poets of today, a tribute to brave bards of the past, and a legacy for the future of literature. –Michael Annis, senior editor, HDP