Fragments from the Fire

From Library Journal
Fragments from the Fire , winner of the Walt Whitman Award for 1986, is a narrative poem based on the Triangle Shirtwaist Company fire in which 146 garment workers were killed. Llewellyn re-creates the lives of these workersmostly immigrant womenthe conditions that led to their deaths, and the varying reactions to that tragedy. The story is told in "fragments"testimonies, journal entries, lettersfrom which we can piece together a recollection of not only the fire but also the historical period in which it occurred. Although lyricism is sometimes sacrificed to information in these poems, the collection is a moving attempt to keep one of the shameful moments in our history alive in our memories. Grace Bauer, formerly with New Orleans, P.L.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.