In trying to make poetry out of such a subject as the Nazi atrocities, William Heyen has taken a tremendous artistic and emotional risk. That he has, on the whole, pulled it off is a testament to his large talent. Though he does not always avoid the pitfalls inherent in the attempt, he does mostly avoid them [in The Swastika Poems]. One is overwriting, which conspicuously appears in "Darkness," an emotionally-charged, dream monologue which reinforces its imagery through reiteration of the word "darker": "… darker./Doctor, help me kill/the Goebbels children. Darker." The powerful nature of the subject demands an unusual restraint of the author; in this instance, Heyen has over-fueled his fire.

The book has, as we would expect, its learned dimension—Heyen has read many documents, both primary and secondary, in gathering his information. Occasionally he uses quotations in his poems, and this gives rise to...