What Came Before

by Matthew Schultz

This quirky book of essays explores subjects as diverse as the death of Moses, the special relationship between gay men and cats, and the afterlife, with a light and understanding touch.

A gorgeous hybrid combining and blurring the genres of essay and poetry, Matthew Schultz’s debut collection is a wonder, tackling religion and sexuality with careful understanding. Fans of both genres will appreciate Schultz’s clear writing style that says without saying. “Even in a small city there is no end to the hidden places,” Schultz tells us of Tel Aviv. This collection is the same: small yet full of deep meaning.

Schultz infuses light into complex subjects such as Judaism, love, God, the Torah, heaven, and sex. His careful insights are at once both deeply personal and profoundly relatable, meant to be devoured and considered within the privacy of one’s own mind. It is here that we learn, “All projections of desire onto a cat are…as futile as trying to decipher the desires of God.”

Praised as “a breath of fresh air, surprising and delightful,” What Came Before is just the beginning―of a promising career, and of our own consideration of the diverse subjects Schultz explores. “Deities, being articles of faith, are a private matter and best left confined to one’s home,” Schultz tells us. Discover “the semiotic language of gesture” and the power of language with this spiritual, yet grounded, debut collection.