Volne Verse

Volne verse (Free Verse) is a diverse collection of Czech poems composed by Jindrich (Henry) Degen (born in 1923 in Prague), who immigrated to Australia in 1968. After a successful career as a musician (oboist) in symphony and opera orchestras, Jindrich has devoted himself to art, photography, and poetry.

The 61 poems and three alliteration prose pieces are arranged under eight categories. The themes in Volne verse include the world around us, science and technology, nature, health, as well as wit and humour. The creations were inspired by observing and contemplations on life and / or world conditions, personal experiences, dreams, or simply fantasy. Some capture recent events, others harken back to a more distant past.

With the author's age and having left his home country over 50 years ago, some of the expressions may appear to younger readers a little archaic. The thoughts however, are fresh and very relevant to our time -- maybe even more so than the day they were written some 15 or more years ago.

Readers comment that they find the poems profound, thought-provoking, and entertaining.