Eros in Exile

By Stefan Isaksson

Eros in Exile
Leilah Wendell
Westgate Press
86 pages
ISBN: 0944087124

You can say whatever you want about Leilah Wendell and her quite unusual relationship with Death, as it’s laid out in books like Encounters with Death and especially her epic Our Name is Melancholy; but at least she knows how to express herself beautifully in writing. Her passion for what she has decided to be her mission in life can only be admired, regardless of what you happen to think of her choice of Death as her special partner.

For people new to Wendell and her unique philosophy, Eros in Exile might not be the best introductory text, however, since it’s a collection of poetry. It’s true that all poems are, in one way or another, about Death, but since it’s a collection of poetry there’s nothing specific which deals with her history and background, or how it came to be that she and Death found each other.

But, if you’re in the mood for some beautiful love poetry and feel like experiencing numerous tributes to love (perhaps an odd kind of love, but a love nonetheless), then Eros in Exile is an excellent choice.

Because Wendell sure knows how to write beautiful poetry. It’s amazing how she’s able to describe something similar in so many different ways with the same honesty running through all of them. Poetry is, in my world, either amazing or worthless, and thus I was pleased to see how the majority of Wendell’s work belongs to the former category. However, make sure not to read the entire book from start to finish in one go, because then you’ll definitely be bored, not matter how great most poems happen to be.

In closing, Eros in Exile is a nice little book about love. The soundtrack to use while reading it is a rainy autumn night when the wind beats your windows and you feel a touch of beautiful melancholy rush through your heart. I haven’t tried it, but I doubt it’ll work on a hot and sunny summer day. This is love poetry for the darker souls, most definitely.