I'm sure you know how to! However, for further clarification, Songs of Frustrated Lust
& Seduction is written in the tradition of the love-lyric from the Provençal
of Arnaut Daniel ('spot the literary allusions') right up to more provisional modern day
graffiti ('filthy scrawls/ fit for public toilet walls'.)
It's a comic homage to that genre, comprising discrete (but indiscreet) pieces, linked
thematically & in terms of imagery, in a loose narrative sequence. Each piece is
complete in itself & can be read separately, but contributes to & gains from the
larger dramatic context.
The (mainly) first-person persona is that of a lust-lorn, ageing adolescent who uses
four-, five-, six-, sometimes more-, letter words to express the psychological conflict
between libido & superego. Or something.
The book may be considered a quasi-Bildungsroman about coming of age (but not in
Samoa), charting an uncertain journey from innocence, or at least inexperience, to a
slightly less immature outlook. Perhaps.
It's funny, pathetic & finally moving, in an ironic, faux-naïf manner. This is
'high seriousness' with a sense of humour. Or something. Or other. Make of it what you
will.
These brief comments can hardly lay bare the intricacies of such a multi-layered work,
but might provide broad guidance. Ultimately, the text speaks for itself. It bears more
than one reading. If you can bear it..
