OTHER BOOKS

Allegro To Life

From 1959 when I wrote my first poem to today, my world view has evolved as I, as do we all, try to grasp the impact of humanity as it buoys or extinguishes individuals and our spaceship planet Earth. I date and identify where I wrote some of my poems to provide readers with points of reference. My approach to poetry is ever evolving but two central principle still guide me: less is almost always more, and, I try to use words and grammar my west Texas mother could understand. Li Po is my hero.

ORDER AT AMAZON.COM ORDER AT CYBERWIT.NET SEE REVIEWS Read Amazon Reviews

Swans to Carry Me

The poet has an excellent ear for rhythm and cadence. After reading all these poems we have a feeling that the style of the poet is precise and elegant. At its best these poems have been composed in a plain and matter-of-fact style. The language of these poems is full of simplicity and directness.

ORDER AT AMAZON.COM ORDER AT CYBERWIT.NET SEE REVIEWS Read Amazon Reviews

Wind in the Elephant Tree

The book title, Wind in the Elephant Tree, traces to a time when, at age 20, I rough-necked my way through wilderness deserts of Mexico with several friends. I came to realize that although I was strong, reasonably good-looking and becoming well educated, I could perish in the desert and no one would care except ants, vultures and maybe my younger sister. The realization that neither I, nor anyone else, is the center of the universe has never faded.

ORDER AT AMAZON.COM ORDER AT CYBERWIT.NET SEE REVIEWS

Book Reviews


Reviews – Allegro To Life

Lenora G.
5.0 out of 5 stars Symphony of poetry
Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2022
Verified Purchase

This musical tribute of poetry is a symphony of words in three movements, Songs from My LifePoems From Guatemala, and Desert Songs. De Berge starts us off with Poetry Begins,

“The art of poetry begins
in the seam where
the grammar of
communication flowers.”

In Ancient Stevedore we read about a tired old man, who is still working at loading and unloading ships at the dock. A young man’s job, but it is a job, and he is prideful, and tired. De Berge also asks some philosophical questions such as, “Where did time come from…where is it going?” in Spinning in Emptiness.

Mr. de Berge has some stunning lines throughout his book. “The stone eyelid of time blinks at nothing.” And a few pages further he wakes “…oneself from nightmares, who hired such strange actors?”

 

Fred J Zambroski
5.0 out of 5 stars A Must Read
Reviewed in the United States on December 30, 2022
Verified Purchase

 

Mark Winheld
5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry that honors humanity and nature
Reviewed in the United States on February 12, 2022
Verified Purchase

Poetry that honors humanity and nature

Full disclosure: As a lifelong friend of Earl, I could be accused of unobjective positive bias. But AS a friend–a partner in adventure–I saw much of what he saw, and I can affirm that his observations are dead-accurate.

His economy of words–reminiscent of Asian and Native American poetry–thrusts the reader directly into the subject, whether it be the blessing of rain on a thirsty desert cactus or the grief of a soul destroyed by Guatemala’s Civil War. Earl’s uncluttered directness embodies what Thomas Merton, author of the spiritual classic “The Seven Story Mountain,” said of his artist father:

 

PJ Erickson
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful poetry — heartfelt, funny, sad, biting — worth savoring
Reviewed in the United States on January 26, 2022
Verified Purchase

I received my first two copies of Allegro to Life today. I hardly know where to begin.  I can only say that my encouragement to you would have been far more intense had I seen more of these writings earlier. Your gift is far greater than I thought or imagined — and my imagining was considerable.

 

Review by Mark D. Walker

I met the author and his wife, Suzanne, several years ago over lunch in Phoenix discussing fundraising strategies for an NGO they set up in Guatemala, “Seeds for a Future,” which provides training to impoverished rural women in and around Chocolá on the South coast, to improve family access to food and nutrition. I soon learned that we not only shared a love and appreciation of Guatemala and the Desert Southwest, but that Earl was also a writer and, in his case, a poet as well.

I was surprised to learn that he started writing as far back as 1959 and is publishing this spring an autographical novel laced with poetry and photos about his adventures as a young man in the Sonoran deserts of Baja California, Mexico, and Arizona, A Finger of Land On An Old Man’s Hand. As a high school senior, he came across one of the best Chinese poets, Li Po, noted for his elegant romantic verse, which was what the author felt drawn to express to some of the various women in his life at the time. He was soon writing about nature, environment, cities, social issues, and his imagination was fueled by his travels through Central America, the Sonoran Desert, and the Andes. “Everything I experience has potential for a poem—even the increasingly dreadful business of politics.”

ORDER AT AMAZON.COM ORDER AT CYBERWIT.NET

 


 

Reviews – Swans to Carry Me

Reviewed by LB Sedlacek

A celebration of life, so to speak, awaits in this new collection from Earl Vincent de Berge. The two sections in this spectacular presentation of thoughts and ideas and the author’s real-life experiences are taken from his own reflections and from his personal journeys.

He uses some of his photos and what he terms “photo abstractions” throughout the book. These add to flavor each work on which they share the same page.

The author states that his book “presents some of my reflections on environment, society, aging, religion, time and peace of mind” and there’s a “focus is on the animal world which has enriched my life for eight decades.” It is a delightful compilation indeed to see an author present their works as they have lived in them or lived through them.

 


 

Reviews – Wind in the Elephant Tree

Reviewed by LB Sedlacek

“Wind in the Elephant Tree” could be seen somewhat as a poem novel what with its combination of poetry, prose and photos all combined into a literary adventure of sorts of the author. The book weaves a captivating narrative that combines elements of coming-of-age and experiences and revelations to transport the reader into de Berge’s world.

The author creates a unique consciousness to render thought provoking verses, stories and text. His own encounter with an elephant tree sets the spark for his discoveries and serves as the inspiration behind the book. The author states “The book title, Wind in the Elephant Tree, traces a time when, at age 20, I rough-necked my way through wilderness deserts of Mexico with several friends. I came to realize that although I was strong, reasonably good-looking and becoming well educated, I could perish in the desert and no one would care except ants, vultures and maybe my younger sister. The realization that neither I, nor anyone else, is the center of the universe has never faded.”