The Art of Brutal Companion
and the Story Behind It
My new collection of poetry, Brutal Companion, will be released on Tuesday, October 15, 2024. Preorder it here. Poets' reputations, publishers, marketing efforts, and target audiences affect how many copies a poetry book sells. Many poetry books, especially those issued by independent presses or smaller publishers, have limited sales. Some general estimates for a poetry book published by an independent press or small publisher may sell 200–500 copies.
A successful book may sell 1,000–2,000 copies. Poetry books issued by larger, more known publishers may sell 2,000 to 5,000 copies. Unless the author is famous, a poetry book rarely sells more than 10,000 copies. Depending on the poet's marketing efforts, self-published poetry volumes may sell below 200 copies. Please consider requesting the book from your local library or school library.
I recently wrote a post that revealed the cover of the collection. One of the most exciting aspects of Brutal Companion is its interaction with visual art. Over the years, I've returned to paintings that have inspired my poems, creating pieces that express my relationship with these works.
The cover image represents the fragmented lives lived through these poems.
One such poem explores the dynamic between Diego Rivera's Portrait of Marevna and the renowned artist Georgia O'Keeffe. This might seem like an unlikely relationship at first, but for years, these two artists' works were curated together at the Art Institute of Chicago. Rivera’s Portrait of Marevna held a steadfast presence near O'Keeffe's work, creating a dialogue between their artistic worlds.
Ekphrastic poetry, which is inspired by visual art, allows me to delve into the deeper meanings and emotions evoked by these paintings. In Brutal Companion, you'll find influences from masters like Raphael and Jacques-Louis David, whose works have significantly shaped my poetic voice. David, a Neoclassical painter, was deeply inspired by Raphael and the Italian Renaissance, and his works reflect a revival of classical ideals. In my poetry, I explore how these classical influences resonate through time, creating a bridge between the ancient and the contemporary.
In Brutal Companion, I examine the artistic connections between various works. I analyze the influences of the works of Rivera, Raphael, and David's paintings. David's works, such as Oath of the Horatii and The Death of Socrates, represent Enlightenment values and political unrest. In contrast, Rivera's "Portrait of Marevna" represents the early 20th century, when Cubism pioneered art. Rivera's portrait of his fiancée, Russian painter Marevna Vorobëv-Stebelska, showcases his skill in color, space, and observation.
Marevna’s distinctive features—her bobbed hair, blond bangs, and the subtle expression on her face—are captured with such precision that one can almost sense her momentary distraction, possibly even anger. Rivera’s use of color to suggest spatial depth in this piece continues to inspire my exploration of layered meanings.
The connection between Rivera and O'Keefe, both of whom are shown in close proximity at the Art Institute of Chicago, prompted me to explore their relationship through poetry. Although their works are frequently viewed as unrelated, they have been arranged together, providing an opportunity for interaction between their artistic legacies.
As I reflect on the journey of creating Brutal Companion, I am reminded of my first encounter with Barrow Street Press, the publisher of this collection. It was during my time as a poetry fellow at Lambda Literary that I had the privilege of working with a group of queer writers who shared my passion for the written word. One of those poets was Ely Shipley, whose collection Boy with Flowers went on to win the Barrow Street Poetry Prize. This connection has come full circle with Barrow Street awarding Brutal Companion the Editors Prize, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
As I prepare for the release of Brutal Companion, I’m filled with gratitude for the experiences and influences that have shaped this collection. Revisiting the artwork that inspired these poems and spending time with the original pieces in person has been crucial to the process.
Join me on this journey as Brutal Companion makes its way into the world.
Preorder Brutal Companion.
They were derived from the Latin words feudum (“fief”) and feodalitas (services connected with the fief), both of which were used during the Middle Ages and later to refer to a form of property holding. Use of the terms associated with feudum to denote the essential characteristics of the early Middle Ages has invested the fief with exaggerated prominence and placed undue emphasis on the importance of a special mode of land tenure to the detriment of other, more significant aspects of social, economic, and political life.FORTHCOMING EVENTS
September 7-8: Printer’s Row Lit Festival
October 23: LitQuake at Grace Cathedral
November 2: The LGBT Community Center, BGSQD
November 4: KGB Monday Night Poetry Reading Series
Ruben Quesada’s Brutal Companion is one of the most beautiful books I’ve ever read about the fact of longing: “You slowly fade/behind a sugar maple, branches like scarecrows waving goodbye.” He manages this beauty with poetry that is so pure that I am always left gagging at even the slightest move and smallest decision in each line (for instance, “above the black milk of Lake Michigan”). These poems are a stunningly melancholic look at love and its eternality. —Jericho Brown
Hi Ruben, it looks like both of your pre-order links aren't working...at least they weren't for me! Congrats on the new book!