Richard Frederic Carlyle — Collected Poems

Richard Frederic Carlyle compressed his known poetic career into an extraordinary Los Angeles burst. Between 1933 and 1934 Phoenix Press issued The Oracles, Psalms of Krishna, and Demon Greed: three books that move from spiritual aphorism and comparative religion to a sweeping attack on property, exploitation, and economic power. Carlyle had studied philosophy, law, and journalism, and newspaper reports place him in India and Hawai‘i while these books were taking shape. That unusual combination enters the verse. Eastern scripture is recast in rhymed English, mystical authority becomes public argument, and the lyric voice repeatedly turns toward the social organization of suffering. Collected Poems gathers the complete located sequence and recovers a writer who tried to make poetry serve at once as revelation, ethical instruction, and political challenge.