“These
abstract, interpersonal poems buck form and embrace contrast. Traditional
syntax and line breaks are abandoned for a richly poetic tone, and in this
manner, Katsaropoulos hits all of the big themes: the archetypal, the
idiosyncratic, and the fragile. The many shades of meaning and great depth of
perspective are rewarding. Just shy of fifty short poems, this book digs deep…
Katsaropoulos’ collection is a poignant and necessary delivery of the most
wonderful of human capacities, our ability to withstand the hurt and the joy.”
—
Booklist
“Chris
Katsaropoulos’ mind is so attuned to poetry, classical music, metaphysics,
physics, science in general and man’s search for meaning that his poems have
passages, not unlike cadenzas in a piano concerto where the artist takes a
pause from the orchestral score to expound on a note or phrase or thought that
shows muscular and spiritual dexterity before returning to the work as a whole,
that sing like few other poets can write.”
“It
is this gift that Katsaropoulos displays in this masterful work. One of the
ways he accomplishes this is his apparent disdain for the confines of phrasing
or punctuation or the manner in which he places his poems on the page: once the
reader takes the time to read the poems aloud, the myriad levels of meaning
surface—levels influenced by the life circumstances and experiences the reader
brings to the poem. He writes as though a passing word or phrase or thought
draws him to pen and paper and form that initial seed his imagination and
stream of conscious sensitivity weave extraordinary images.”
“He
allows a certain ambiguity of thought that opens a passage for the reader to
enter the creative process, introducing here and there phrases that may be read
with several levels of meaning. Gently tucked into his poems are moments of
strangely chosen rhyming words that adds to the mystery of the fluidity of what
he is expressing. Make no mistake: once his individual poem is completed the
thought process is there: it is the discovery of the process, that idea, that sixth
sense place that is the joy of reading his work.”
“This
is a collection of fragments not unlike the encounters we all face in life—moments
that seem coincidental and unimportant at the time but which later lead to
insights and even behavior changes completely unexpected.”
“Complex Knowing is most assuredly one
of the more important collections of poetry by an American writer to come
before the public. And as much as his novels continue to be unique
contributions to literature, we can only hope that he will pause frequently to
offers poems such as these.”
—
Grady Harp, poet—War Songs; critic—Literary Aficionado; art historian—The Art of Man, Vitruvian Lens and PoetsArtists;
writer for art museum catalogues.
Unilateral was so good that after reading it, I immediately wanted to read Antiphony, Chris Katsaropoulos’s previous novel written in 2012. Read together they make a nice contrast in plot development, writing styles, and epiphany experiences. Antiphony is the story of a physicist whose attempts to explain his life’s work at a conference of his peers and insure his promotion to department head become sadly derailed. He loses his notes before his presentation, and spirals into a psychological abyss in which he either discovers the meaning of the universe, or loses his grip on reality, depending on the reader’s point of view. His responses to his life crises are compelling, and encourage pondering of relationships, religious experiences, and physics, especially its New Age interpretations. The book exhibits the author’s extensive knowledge of string theory, music, and the academic life. If you like an experimental style combined with metaphysical content, you will enjoy this book.Unilateral was inspiring because of the character development, dialog, and descriptive use of setting to advance the story line. Theological implications are presented in a humanistic light, and the relationships are very true to life. Amel is a female Palestinian student and Ra’anan is a young Israeli bomber pilot whose destinies are intertwined in much the same way as the lives of the main characters in Antiphony but with a very different outcome. The story is convincing, and the treatment of the conflict in the Middle East is timely. The reader really cares about what happens to these two young people who face so many challenges in their lives in these war torn areas. It is a short book that holds your attention to the end. Read them both if you want to experience a double epiphany.
— Sylvia Andrews, The Examiner
“Katsaropoulos’s grasp of physics is astonishing as is his ability to phrase theory in a manner comfortably decipherable. His deep entrenchment in literature and in music blossoms on the pages frequently. His grasp of the manifold variations of human relationships breathes of psychology breeding with philosophy. But most of all it is the serene beauty of his writing that mesmerizes and results in starting the book again once finished that proves this is a man of letters who has an enormous gift and future.”
—Grady Harp, Amazon Top 10
Reviewer, Literary Aficionado
“I
enjoyed this book a lot. Antiphony is
super smart but also accessible. It delves deeply into scientific theory as
well as philosophy and some psychology but uses layperson language and felt
really accessible to me.”
“The
writing style reminds me of Milan Kundera. I’m a huge fan of Kundera’s work… so
this is a big compliment. I think Kundera has a really unique voice and style
that I never see anywhere and Katsaropoulos has a similar quality that lent
some magic to the reading for me. Antiphony
blends reality and non-reality in a fabulous way.”
—Kathryn
Vercillo, Diary of a Smart Chick
“With
the debate between supporters of evolution and creationism (recently
highlighted by Bill Nye and Ken Ham), Antiphony
is an intriguing timely tale. As readers observe the protagonist's everyday
life, we wonder whether Reveil’s revelation means he is losing his mind or
finding a spiritual awakening that will ultimately lead him to the asylum or
the Universe’s Final Unified Field Theory. Fans who prefer something offbeat
will appreciate Chris Katsaropoulos’ profound character study of a physicist on
the brink of discovery, insanity or both.”
—Midwest Book Review“I loved Theodore, wanted to sit down and have coffee with him and talk to him for hours. Going against the grain, especially if you didn’t mean to do it in the first place is a hard path to follow.”
“The
writing style was superb, and my head was spinning with fodder. Watching
Theodore’s life crumble before his eyes, and his inability to cope (or perhaps
ability to see more clearly for a different audience) was heart-breaking,
maddening and incredible to read. The book was expertly written, made me think,
and wasn’t just another piece of fiction. The events aren’t real, but the felt
like they could be.”
—Naimeless
Read the complete review
here: http://naimeless.wordpress.com/2014/03/13/antiphony-the-cacophony-of-the-universe/
“I
liked Theodore Reveil. I found the crisis of conscience that he was going
through fascinating—God versus science, or God and science, as opposed to all
of his previous beliefs about God having no place in science or in a theory of
the Universe.”“I liked the wide range of influences and topics apparent in this book—classical music and music theory, string theory, poetry, literature, mythology, spiritualism and religion. The author took all of these and used them to weave a descriptive cloak around the characters and plot. The book was well paced and used numerous literary devices to great effect. Theodore’s… visions seemed to be expressed in a stream of consciousness manner, with thoughts and images coming out roughshod and disorganised, in a rapid, rambling fashion and a blurring together of ideas… They reminded me of the style of many passages in James Joyce’s Ulysses.”
“I would recommend this book if you are interested in the science and God question. If you enjoy literary fiction, combining poetry and prose, that deals with deep philosophical questions about the Universe in which we exist, and indeed about existence itself, then you will surely enjoy this book.”
—Julian Froment, Life, Literature and Lewd Comments
Read the complete review
here: http://julianfroment.wordpress.com/2014/04/15/antiphony-by-chris-katsaropoulus/
“Antiphony is, in many ways, an awe-inspiring novel. It was, I think, written in awe. Awe of science and reason. Awe of intuition and faith. Awe of the one and the many, unity and diversity.”
“Writer Chris Katsaropoulos has a way of delving deeply into what seem like small moments–the whole novel takes place in just three or four days–and capturing all their nuances and vibrating tension.”
“Throughout Antiphony, the protagonist (a physicist researching string theory) experiences dreams and visions that fill pages the way a flash flood fills a ravine–a torrent of words flowing into the space between the margins and pressing onward to the next page and the next.”
“It makes me wonder how he did it.”
--Al Riske, Thoughts with Nowhere Else to Go
When I first read about the subject of Antiphony, the first thing that came to mind was Jorge Luis Borges and his story “The Aleph.” Then I read the book—and it only took a day because it is short and moves swiftly, even though many passages demand careful attention because the language is very rich.
I felt that my hunch about Borges was valid, but I also found myself thinking of Asimov and even Faulkner. Not only that, I imagined this as an episode of the old Twilight Zone show, with Rod Serling intoning, “You are entering a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.” I could see Burgess Meredith or a similar character actor in the role of Theodore.
But the comparisons I draw are only a few signposts that occurred to me. Antiphony is deep and highly imaginative, and it stands on its own. I hadn't read anything of its type in a long time, and I'm glad I did.
—Mets6986, Amazon Top Reviewer
Hold on to your chair or you will be totally transported out of your comfort zone by Chris Katsaropoulos’s new novel.
I felt that my hunch about Borges was valid, but I also found myself thinking of Asimov and even Faulkner. Not only that, I imagined this as an episode of the old Twilight Zone show, with Rod Serling intoning, “You are entering a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind.” I could see Burgess Meredith or a similar character actor in the role of Theodore.
But the comparisons I draw are only a few signposts that occurred to me. Antiphony is deep and highly imaginative, and it stands on its own. I hadn't read anything of its type in a long time, and I'm glad I did.
—Mets6986, Amazon Top Reviewer
Hold on to your chair or you will be totally transported out of your comfort zone by Chris Katsaropoulos’s new novel.
It doesn’t matter if you haven’t the foggiest idea what String Theory is or why anyone wants to debate its virtues or vices as the definitive answer to what holds our universe together. What does matter is that you will fall down a metaphorical rabbit hole alongside a scientist driven to prove his theory.
The lyrical writing in Antiphony deftly dances between Reveil’s meandering thoughts and the world in which he is moving about. It starts with Reveil wondering: “What if the universe, instead of being a giant machine, is really a giant thought?” It ends with a shocking revelation about one human in the pursuit of one truth. Katsaropoulos is an emerging fresh literary voice not to be overlooked.
–Rita Kohn, Nuvo Newsweekly
“Mesmerizing and beautiful, a truly stunning book!”
“With a debut such as this, I see a wonderfully promising future for this author. A story and characters you will never forget, with a message as old and true as time itself.”
“I have already read this twice, and marveled at it even more the second reading. I cannot recommend this book highly enough!”
–Lauri Coats, ReviewTheBook.com
“Poignant and thought-provoking, Fragile is a fine piece of fiction to add to any collection.” –Midwest Book Review
“There is an element of higher meaning in this story that makes it fascinating to finish and to contemplate the experience of reading it. For lovers of experimental literature, this book is tasty.” –Grady Harp, Amazon Top 10 Reviewer
“At the end it’s a ‘whew’ and a ‘wow’ because it was a pleasurably demanding experience.” –Rita Kohn, Nuvo Newsweekly
“Fragile is riven with scintillating poetic expression which hangs together in spite of the deliberately fractured nature of the book.”
“As earthy as it is ethereal, Fragile shows that in spite of the bleakness and lovelessness of the modern world one hidden life of prayer and good works can have far-reaching effects upon the cosmos.” –Elena Maria Vidal, GoodReads
