Buy Gulag 101
Paperback Edition
by Nico Reznick
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Nico Reznick's second collection of poetry is an exploration of profoundly human themes, such as loss, desire, oppression and the search for meaning, calling upon a disparate array of muses, including Slovakian strippers, the Conservative Party and brain-damaged cat-gods.
Reznick's style favours realness over beauty, directness over decoration. Sensitive while avoiding sentimentality, Reznick writes with a savage and soul-baring sincerity that cuts right to the bleeding, beating heart of the human condition.
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 Buy Gulag 101
Kindle Edition
by Nico Reznick
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"Reznicks second book of poems is as taut, hilarious, sad and dark as her first. She manages to make life in the Gulag worthwhile. Let us hope there is more to come from this gifted writer."
"I recommend checking out a few of Reznick's videos where she recites some of her poetry, it really helps to give you an idea of the pace to read these. I find I always read poems fast, so its good to get some info to slow down for these. This is a lovely little collection of poems, some real gems in there. Some are political, a few are trying wake up those drones at work, who just put their head down and get through the day, whilst earning their bosses millions and some are very sweet. I loved the one about her cat and wanting to take him back in time to show the Egyptians that they were worshipping the wrong type of cat. And the best in the book is a touching poem for Iain Banks called "Away the crow road", top class poem."
"I just recently discovered this poet and have become quite a fan. Her style is gritty, yet vulnerable. I highly recommend this book."
"Nico Reznick’s second collection of poetry is just as good as the first. The dissatisfied human spirit in the modern age of meaninglessness is captured brilliantly. The poet’s personal feelings and demons are explored in poems like the powerful ‘Kiss Like Opium’ and the relatable-in-essence ‘Letter Of Notice’ and her disillusionment of twenty first century politics in ‘The New Breed’ is expertly captured. This easily digestible collection offers much pause for thought. Literally. It will make you stop, think, feel, digest and reread again. My favourites in Gulag 101 were: ‘Slow Death Among The Toner Cartridges’ which perfectly sums up the banality and mundanity of work, with lines like: “There are people who know whether you take sugar in your tea” and: “You get a card on your birthdays, scribbled with a score of sincere, benevolent, utterly generic messages.” And as a long standing and unashamed fan of that nutter David Icke, I particularly liked ‘Reptiles As A Metaphor’ which remembers how much everyone used to laugh at Icke and how much of his big-business-elite conspiracies are suddenly in-your-face-facts a couple of decades on. Other winners were ‘Rejection’, which begins: “I don't want you, walk-in-closeted, white-picket wonderland, or all your 2.4 suburban promises of good catchment areas and gentrification”, and ‘Service Desk’, which starts: “In the car after work, some forsaken Wednesday evening, Christie twists in her driver's side bucket seat to tell me, 'The problem with this job is lately, it feels like I'm sucking dick when I'm not’”. I can’t recommend Nico Reznick’s poetry enough. Support your indie poets and buy this book."
"Truthful, raw, honest poetry. At times you may feel like you've just been sucker-punched (in a good way) I'm never disappointed after reading Nico's work. Highly recommend!"
"Gulag 101 is a twenty-six poem collection and, unlike Over Glassy Horizons, Nico Reznick's first poetry collection, I don't think I missed the point on a single poem here! I love Reznick's evocative imagery which presents familiar and often mundane concepts, but from her own distinctive viewpoint to show up their inherent madness. As the last line of the first poem, Talking Small, says, 'Can't we talk just a little bit bigger than this?' and I thought that one line perfectly sums up many of the other poems. We are all so much more than vehicles for inane consumerism and hamster-wheel lives, although reaching the deific heights of felines is probably overly optimistic. I like the anger of Rejection and its immediate contrast to the world-weariness of Laureate. The King Of Sutton Park is a beautiful lament to ageing and our society's lack of connection with elderly people. While reading both The New Breed and Reptiles As A Metaphor I found myself in the weird situation of having identical thoughts about two books read back to back. The thought was 'how apt these words are for the current Brexit hysteria' even though they were written directly about it. (The other book was Waiting For The Barbarians which I will be reviewing tomorrow) In these two poems Reznick nails exactly what is unsettling about our political elite! I think Gulag 101 is a strong collection of contemporary poetry with a lot to say about life in 2010s Britain. Nothing rhymes, but the poems have an insistent and effective rhythm and pace which I loved, especially when reading them aloud."
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