Culture of One

"Once again at the beginning..." are the first words of Alice Notley's Culture of One, and they introduce the themes of renewal and return, both physical and spiritual, that run through this feverish hallucination of a book. A "novel" in name only, Culture nonetheless has characters: Marie, a woman Notley knew who lived in a town dump; Leroy, a compulsive liar who is cured of his tendency to lie, though nobody believes him anyway; and Mercy, who exists as both a character and a quality. Through these and other figures and their obscure interactions, Notley addresses the idea of the social outcast as spiritual pilgrim, while aligning herself with her lost souls by claiming them as projections of herself. There are no flights of poetic fancy in Notley's writing, but her power—and what makes Culture of One such a fascinating and demanding book—lies in her remarkable visions and her ability to evoke a sense of spiritual transformation from porous characters stumbling through the detritus of a ruined landscape. Masks, codices, calls for clarity and mercy all drift through these poems, suggesting a hunger for ceremony and ritual in what might be a godless universe. At times, the shapeless style and general lack of focus can make the journey through Culture of One needlessly wearying, but for those curious about Notley's work, it's a powerful introduction to a heady and unique poet.