The Return of Artz Carbuncle: A Poem in Prose and Verse

By Ty Bouldin

The Return of Artz Carbuncle: A Poem in Prose and Verse A Poet Reflects on the Growth and Transformations of the Self The Return of Artz Carbuncle: A Poem in Prose and Verse presents an unusual variation on many of the themes of contemporary poetry. It is the third volume in a series of books devoted to the writings of a fictive poet who goes by the stage name of Artz Carbuncle. Artz dedicates this work to 'Mr. B, ' his friend and literary advisor, "in the hope that it may help him to hear another man tell his story." The five sections of The Return of Artz Carbuncle develop a version of Nietzsche's portrayal in Thus Spoke Zarathustra of three metamorphoses of the spirit: from a beast of burden, to defiant lion in the desert, to the self-becoming creativity of a child. Even so, the book is the darkest of the selections of Artz' writing. It grapples with moral, psychological and social issues in the context of the increasing stresses and failures of American culture and values during the early years of the twenty-first century. These issues are portrayed in the individual experiences of the author's literary persona, as he reflects on his own and his friend's struggles with personal identity and integrity. As Artz notes elsewhere, his relationship with Mr. B has developed in such a way that the pronouns 'you' and 'I' no longer serve to distinguish them. Three of the book's five sections are prose narratives. The first, portraying the efforts of Professor A.I. Roomer to draft an address to the Convention of Philosophers of Rhetorical Enquiry, is a sympathetic if deeply satirical view of academic life and striving. The second prose piece also engages an academic context: it reveals the relationship between Professor Remoor (an archaeologist studying the abandoned desert community of Yellow Sty) and an indigenous local named Sonairda who is devoted to a belief in the power of nature to defy rational expectation. The third narrative celebrates the innocent wisdom

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1977294162
• ISBN13: 9781977294166
• Release Date: September 2026
• Publisher: Outskirts Press
• Length: 200 Pages
• Weight: 0.94 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"