Dirty Pretty Things

Powerful and evocative. Highly recommended!

Dirty Pretty Things is a collection of poetry, both free verse and rhyme whose theme ranges from love, loss, sex, romance and basically life. The words are everyday,ranging from the erotic, carnal aspects of life specifically sex and romance to just ordinary moments seen at a different angle. Some will find it good, others would deem it as nothing to special but like any other works of fiction, only the reader can truly state how one feels about it.

I think the kind of poetry Michael Faudet writes is something you either love or hate – most of the reviews I’ve read have gone that way, with very little middle ground. Personally, I love it. I’ve loved it since I first came across it on Instagram and I continue to enjoy the gorgeous way poets like Faudet (Kat Savage and Atticus come to mind) use words. I love the simple short poems and stories, the way it is both uncomplicated and deep, and how poets like Faudet take simple words and ideas and turn them into something beautiful.

Lips

Kisses dream of lips like yours.

Goodreads describes this collection of poetry as ‘whimsical and often erotic’ and I would have to agree; Faudet takes very human concepts like loss, love, and sex and turns them into little masterpieces that a lot of people can relate to. I just find it beautiful in its simplicity – it’s not complicated or hard work to find meaning and I enjoy that kind of poetry, as well the more traditional kind.

Poetry like this has taken social media by storm and I’m glad as poetry can so often be seen as a tedious part of English at school, especially for those who sometimes struggle with words. Anything that brings poetry into the forefront of people’s minds is fine by me, and it just so happens that I really enjoy it as well.

Airplanes

She rode on airplanes and fell asleep in hotel beds. Dreaming of faraway places – writing poetry with her sunset eyes.

Simple words, magical images. Highly recommended for lovers of the written word.

Dirty Pretty Things by Michael Faudet is a best-selling collection of poetry. To be honest, the title pulled me in. I am not much for romantic poetry and I don't read erotica, but something in this book seemed to hold promise. The range of poetry is wide, to say the least, from cutesy to something the other side of candied vulgarity. From serious to sophomoric. Somewhere in that mix, I found what I liked. At times there was the thrill of being outside my comfort zone yet still other times it was over the top. It is easy to see why this would be a best seller. There is something for everyone in this collection -- from the meek to the overtly adventurous.

Some of the writing is inspired:

Second Chance

We kissed beneath the twisted trees,
our lips between the stars, tiny ripples in a lake this love, once lost,
is ours.

Some a bit “punk”

Perfume

Her perfume reminded me of freshly picked flowers and sticky candy floss, mixed with a gentle hint of debauchery

Risque

Curious girl

She was a curious girl,
who loved the smell of old books,
chasing butterflies,
and touching herself under the covers.

To

“Fuck me like you hate me” she purred, her lips curled up into a teasing point.

The collection certainly has range and a style dependent on the tone -- from quality to the lowest common denominator. I liked perhaps 80% of what I read. It was not the subject matter that turned me off the other 20% but the method in which it was expressed. Faudet seemed to lower his writing style and quality when writing more primal and vulgar poems. It is like he turned from poet to a trashy romance novelist whenever he mentions panties. The socially acceptable is well written and at times beautiful. The more animal side of love, or lust, takes on a more sensational, shocking, and simplistic style of writing. I can’t tell if this is intentional or not, but it works. From an intellectual point of view, the writing pulls the reader in and periodically repulses him or her only to be pulled back in again. It is a repeating cycle through the collection where Faudet is playing with the reader or perhaps it is incidental. I am going to go with the former because it seems to tie the whole theme of relationships, vodka, loss, and renewal together very nicely.

Is it hot in here? I just finished this quick book of poetry and I loved it. Very sexy and dirty, but it manages not to cross the line into pornographic. I will be buying a copy for myself.

Michael Faudet is an amazing poet! I really enjoyed this one.