Deuxmers Releases Two Works From Celebrated Author And Poet Peter Shaindlin

Events Held to Celebrate the Release of a New Poetry Collection The Swans of Pergusa, as well as the Second Edition of the Writer's Renowned Novella, Citizen Steele

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Deuxmers Publishing

Mar 17, 2016, 07:50 ET

HONOLULU, March 17, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Deuxmers Publishing LLC, one of Hawaii's leading independent publishing houses of fiction, poetry and photography books, announces the release of the brand new poetry collection The Swans of Pergusa, as well as the Second Edition of the lauded cult novella Citizen Steele by author Peter Shaindlin. Both releases were celebrated with events held at iconic venues in Honolulu.

The Swans of Pergusa, Shaindlin's new collection of poetry, is influenced by both the work of Ovid and the reinterpretations of those tales by poet Ted Hughes. The collection surges dramatically forward from its very first stanza with The Creation of the World, then seguing into a mellifluous collection of ancient stories running the gamut from Pyramus and Thisbe to Midas, Pygmalion, Actaeon and the death of Orpheus. In an abrupt and bold change of course, the book concludes with 'Epilogues,' a further recounting of each earlier poetic piece in an intensely distilled, modernistic twist, fusing the ethereal poetic architecture of Pound with the sheer force of Yeats.

"The release of The Swans of Pergusa is a unique and rarified event within the poetic genre," said Omer Kursat, the founder and Managing Editor of Deuxmers Publishing. Continued Mr. Kursat, "Not since Ted Hughes' Tales From Ovid have we had such a radically new and vibrant reinterpretation of selections from Ovid's masterpiece Metamorphoses. In addition to its own intrinsic beauty, The Swans of Pergusa represents a significant evolution in the two-thousand year legacy of the original opus."

Said Mr. Shaindlin, "Ted Hughes' recounting of some twenty-four of the original two hundred forty Ovidian myths represented a passionate, risqué departure from the original Latin text, one that provided me with the inspiration to revisit and celebrate ten of these timeless allegorical tales in a way that speaks to our current time while preserving the primeval richness and grandeur of Ovid, as well as rekindling numerous cultural implications that still ring true in today's contemporary society."

In addition to the publication of this groundbreaking new collection, Deuxmers has also announced the publication of the second edition of Mr. Shaindlin's acclaimed novella, Citizen Steele. Set in a foreboding, ethereal urban environment in which the protagonist, Richard Jason Steele, lives amidst characters both real and imagined, the lines of which become increasingly blurred as his schizophrenia worsens. The reclusive Steele struggles through embracing yet ultimately rejecting the philosophy of his idol, philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein. He commits a tragic act, is arrested and begins a desperate and torturous philosophical journey under the threat of execution.

"The publication of the Second Edition of Citizen Steele is a consequential achievement for Deuxmers as well as the expansion of our portfolio into literary art. Citizen Steele, as much a philosophical statement as it is literature, is a triumph for Peter Shaindlin who takes the reader on an enigmatic and provocative journey that melds the intellectual passion of Durrell and the transcendent bluntness of Sartre," proclaimed Kursat. Said Shaindlin, "I'm extremely grateful to Omer who encouraged me to expand and enrich the book, and I am gratified that Deuxmers deemed it worthy of publishing a Second Edition of Citizen Steele. I have incorporated several important refinements that will further captivate and engage the reader, as well as added an expansive preface in which I provide commentary that serves to enlighten and provide additional context to the story and the characters."

The releases were celebrated through events held at Honolulu's celebrated jazz venue, The Dragon Upstairs, and at the iconic Honolulu Museum of Art. The Citizen Steele launch featured the Penelope Furr cocktail, inspired by the novella's eponymous ingénue and conceived by Colin Field, Head Barman of The Hemingway Bar at the Ritz-Paris hotel. The release of The Swans of Pergusa, featured a reading by the author in the museum's Hall of Antiquities.

About Peter Shaindlin
Peter Shaindlin is a writer, poet, fine art photographer and musician who has become a significant and influential cultural critic over the past decade. A Visiting Fellow and Research Scholar at University of Oxford, Harris Manchester College, Mr. Shaindlin has four published works including The Swans of Pergusa (Deuxmers Publishing). Mr. Shaindlin is also a renowned fine art photographer, represented by Westwood Gallery of New York City, and his photography has been exhibited at ART MIAMI and ART WYNWOOD together with works by Lucien Clergue, Man Ray, Roy Schatt and Richard Avedon. He studied fine arts and humanities at Mannes College and New York University. Recognized concurrently as one of the leading visionaries in the global luxury hospitality industry, Mr. Shaindlin has established an outstanding reputation for overseeing some of the world's most iconic luxury brands.

Mr. Shaindlin is Chief Operating Officer of Halekulani Corporation in Honolulu, Hawaii. He is a regular speaker at international conferences including The East-West Philosophy Conference, The Leading Hotels of the World, International Hotel Investment Forum, Morgan Stanley Global Wealth Conference and others and frequently lectures at venerated institutions including New York University Tisch Center for Hospitality, the University of Hawaii and Lynn University. Mr. Shaindlin previously served as Chairman of the Board of the Honolulu Symphony and has been an active board member of various arts and cultural institutions locally and internationally including The Merwin Conservancy, the International Luxury Hotel Association, The Bishop Museum, Hawaii Pops, Honolulu Symphony Foundation and Hawaii Arts Alliance, Japan-American Society of Hawaii, AAA Executive Advisory Board, ESSEC International Business School, Versailles, France, and is a faculty member at University of Hawaii's Pacific New Media School.

About Deuxmers Publishing
Founded in 2011, Deuxmers Publishing is an independent publisher of literature and art photography print editions based in Waimanalo on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. The Deuxmers business model incorporates current trends in publishing with advances in technology in order to appeal to how the contemporary reader enjoys literature, but is founded on the principle of the appreciation of the printed book which presents its literary content as a physically manifested objet d'art. Current Deuxmers publications include the poetry of artist and writer Elsha Bohnert, titled Don't Trip Over the Garden Hose; photography by its founder Omer Kursat, in titles Over the Pali, 2 AM No Pork and Young Turks; and a historic collection of photographs by the late Peggy Ferris, Peggy and The Roadrunners, that in a profound way, represents the hopes and dreams of those who aspire to achieve passionate and purposeful lives. For more information, please visit deuxmers.com