Richard Jones opens Paris with a quote written on the wall of Shakespeare & Company, perfectly setting the stage for the following trip in the iconic French capital. Jones’s extended stay abroad is a quest of inspiration the audience is invited to experience second-hand. He delivers an expansive view of the well-trod tourist destinations along with the less-travelled streets and alleys that resonate on a personal level for the author. The reader is immersed in the world of French artists from Rilke and Rodin to Baudelaire, Redouté, and Dalí to explore the lives and times of icons across artistic media. Some poems, such as “Courbet” and “Brancusi,” usher the reader through museums and workshops where paintings and the tools that created them are favorably examined, and others, such as “Dalí” and “The Gift,” linger in kitchens and alleyways, musing on the raw difficulties of creative endeavors. Regardless of the setting and theme, Jones captures each moment with clarity, subverting the tendency to romanticize the city of love while appreciating the beauty born from the land. A collection with this focus may seem arcane, but the themes of searching for purpose, building relationships, and general perseverance are intriguing whether you are a poet living abroad or a student busing tables in the Midwest. Late in the collection, Jones notes that Parisians expect an “aura” from poetry—something that spiritually transcends beyond simple struggles of the day-to-day (52-53). Throughout this work, Jones finds ways to do both. He layers the base, human needs and obstacles with the broad, illuminating expectations of the “aura,” creating an engaging book of poetry for anyone interested in the pursuit of a passion.
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