The Ascent of Mt. Obvious
Ronald F. Sauer (2025)
The Ascent of Mt. Obvious includes poetry, prose, translations and artwork by Ronald Sauer. This posthumous collection spans the period 1979-2019. It features over 60 collages, translations of Baudelaire, Bertrand and Prévert, personal photos of Ronald and friends, as well as poetry and prose written in San Francisco and around the world.
The afterword, Dino, was written by Robert Yarra and is available here as a PDF.
ISBN: 979-8-9851293-5-9
Publisher: Golda Foundation
Publication Date: 2025
Format: Paperback
Pages: 261
Language: English
THE ASCENT OF MT. OBVIOUS: What a wonderful, wonderful book–a trove of treasures! From dazzling, vibrant collages that set the mind thinking, to new translations of PARIS SPLEEN, to offbeat slices of life in Prague, Venice, and North Beach.
Gerry Nicosia
I love Ron’s use of language. He uses big words, but never just for their own sake, but because they are precisely what he wants to say; and he pays attention to their sound, their rhythm, which fit perfectly into the lines of his poem.
I like the way his mind works, and the honesty of his mind. He reports every impression he has, whether embarrassing, politically wrong, or just silly, because this is his life and to record its preciousness is part of his mission as a poet.
Dear Bobby,
I want to send you heartfelt congratulations on the magnificent RFS book you have published. You’ve taken an entire life‘s work and put it in a beautiful form that one can sit with and enjoy. I’ve never seen a poetry book quite like this. Ronald is so fortunate to have you as his protector guide. I was always so distracted and enamored of the principal beats like Corso and Lamantia, I never really gave proper attention to poets like Ronald and Rosemary. But I have now, and I see how wonderful they were.
Raymond Foye
Tate sent me a copy of this book. It’s been a constant companion this past week.
Ronald’s translations of Jacques Prévert are the finest I have ever read.
He must’ve been a lot of fun to hang out with, although perhaps trying at times? He has an unhinged quality that is sort of the secret to his work.
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