A review by zarvindale
Unanimal, Counterfeit, Scurrilous by Mark Anthony Cayanan

4.0

I am here to say that Mark Anthony Cayanan is so brave for writing that last long poem about shame. I have read Thomas Mann’s Death in Venice back in college for a final paper in one of my literature classes. It is indeed an classic queer novella, which narrates old Aschenbach’s desire for youthful Tadzio. From the I in Narcissus to the You in Except you enthrall me, Cayanan moves to He in this third poetry collection. The persona wears the body, with all its frailties, of Aschenbach and transports it into present day. This poetry collection is sort of a modern retelling of the novella, if we think about it. Above all, it’s a confession, one that’s made to the beloved but more so confided to the reader, whether they like it or not. We may deeply feel embarrassment for the persona here, but, in the lingo of the internet nowadays, we cannot deny that the persona’s feelings are “real.”