R. Douglas Jacobs

Gethsemane (Commercial Book): an Epic Poem About Us R. Douglas Jacobs

It?s often said that certain books only come around once in a generation, Gethsemane is the kind of book that maybe comes around once in a lifetime, and is presented as a literary innovation destined to be a cultural artifact, not just fictional pulp. Gethsemane is not your epic poem in the traditional sense. Its body of work is composed as an ode in three acts, but formatted as a linear narrative that is divided by one hundred forty-eight verses that read like sonnets. Each stanza (or poetic sentence) is no longer than twelve syllables in length, and each ends in a unique rhyme. Not a single rhyme was repeated, which accentuates the melodic beauty of each verse. The antagonist is also the protagonist-one of biblical lore who takes us on a journey to better understand the ominous nature of our being, as humans, through his actions of deceit and seduction. Still, the irony we discover in following his journey is one predicated on redemption as its central theme. Gethsemane is not only meant to enlighten our senses from a philosophical standpoint, but the tales interwoven within these pages will immerse your imagination in depths seldom explored in contemporary literature.