Bill Holm (1) (1943–2009)

I wanted Windows of Brimnes to be all about Iceland. The culture. The food. The people. The flora and fauna. The traditions. The weather. Holm does not keep his focus strictly on Brimnes. Instead he rails against America, television, and modern technologies like cell phones and computers. He has his two cents about September 11th, 2001 and the subject of Communism. He traces his early years in Minneota and life during the war. Every once in awhile he comes back to his beloved Brimnes. show more Admittedly, these parts are so beautiful Holm makes me want to visit.
Confessional: I was forewarned about Holm's rants about America. I was even urged to skip those parts. Because I can be a b!tch I decided to make note of every disparaging thing Holm said about the country from which he tried to distance himself. Here are some of the things he said: the United States is too much. It has too much religion, too much news, too many weapons of mass destruction, too much entertainment, too much electricity, too vast an area. America has broken connections to its past. America is indifferent to nature if money is to be made and greed always wins. America is obsessed with security and loves war of any kind. America's sense of civility has fallen into disrepair. "Americans are a nation of mentally drugged cattle" (p 133). Holm was tired of apologizing for being American. I wonder what he would think of the state of our country now. show less

Holm fans can rejoice in this book of poetry that plays familiar themes, in new ways. Bill's refreshing anarchy and warm humanity fill this lovely book, and his humor is compassionate, scathing, ever changing.

Music, a central part in Holm's life, flows through many of these poems. Another theme that looms large is death. Death may be final, but friendship doesn't end with death in Holm's world; a number of these poems pay homage to people he has loved. When Bill knows from his friend's show more handwriting that death is approaching, I recall how my Mother's handwriting betrayed the same message; one that I was not yet able to read.

For you lovers of Iceland, there is Part I: A Bowl of Thought. This section weaves in Skagafjord, Sauðárkrókur, Hofsós, and Holm's beloved cottage in Hofsós, Brimnes--all by means of evocative poetry.

If you love poetry, music, or Iceland...you'll love Playing the Black Piano. Bill, my debt to you keeps getting heavier. show less

Jumping from biological essay to poem to everyday life to musical score, the author looks at boxelder bugs from more aspects than I would have thought possible. The titles are as intriguing as the poem or essay, e.g.
"Should You Ever Find Yourself In A Classroom Manned By A Practitioner Of The Hidden Meaning School of Literature, Here Is An Examination Answer Straight From the Bug's Mandibles

He is the fly on Buddha's nose,
the moon shadow falling
through your own curtain,
the leaping joy show more weighed down
with prayer books, balance sheets," show less

Exuberant, persnickety, and literate, Bill Holm's essays are an exercise in loving contemplation of one's family, neighbors, and town. This is a book with a robust heart. I can see why no one reads it anymore: Holm is old-fashioned in his stubborn praise of the small. He finds wealth in his town's poverty and wisdom in its lack of education. He's a true curmudgeon, which I found refreshing. Sure, I've listened to Prairie Home Companion dozens of times, but unlike Garrison Keillor's show more stereotyped small-town, Bill Holm's Minneota makes me proud to be a Minnesotan. show less