In crack-haunted alleys, overhangs,/ plots of sour earth that pass for gardens,/ in the space between wall and wheelie bin// in all these places the city lilacs are pushing/ their cones of blossom into the spring."" With a keen eye for detail and an ear for the sweet, subtle music of the world around her, Dunmore proves herself to be as adept at unwinding wry, curious, and fascinating stories in her poetry as she is in her acclaimed fiction (e.g., A Spell of Winter). These new poems, her first collection since Out of the Blue: Poems 1975-2001, continue her lyrical investigation into the corners of life-quiet, joyous, or dark. Honest and generous, this work can also be haunting: ""a bunch of violets/ laid on a grave, and a woman walking,/ and black rain falling on the headstone/ of 'the handsomest man I've ever seen.'"" This tender yet intense new collection is recommended, particularly for contemporary British poetry collections."" LJ 07/07 ""The poetry comprising this enthusiastically recommended volume of her work have [sic] been drawn from seven previously published collections and are especially noteworthy for their lyrical language, the emotional impact, and their literary artistry."" --The Midwest Book Review
**
Review
'An electrifying and original talent, a writer whose style is characterised by a lyrical, dreamy intensity' - Guardian 'One of this country's finest literary talents' - Daily Telegraph 'Dunmore gets a wonderful balance between delicate, exact, surprising language and very strong thought - which may be bitter, sardonic, or violent, tender, or wildly imaginative, but is always generous... A lovely poetic electricity runs through her poems' - Sean O'Brien & Ruth Padel, PBS Bulletin
About the Author
Helen Dunmore is a poet, novelist and children's writer. Her poetry books have been given the Poetry Book Society Choice and Recommendations, Cardiff International Poetry Prize, Alice Hunt Bartlett Award and Signal Poetry Award, and Bestiary was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Her latest Bloodaxe poetry titles are Out of the Blue: Poems 1975-2001 (2001) and Glad of These Times (2007). She has published nine novels and three books of short stories with Viking Penguin, including A Spell of Winter (1993), Talking to the Dead (1996), The Siege (2001), Mourning Ruby (2003) and House of Orphans (2006). She lives in Bristol.
Description:
In crack-haunted alleys, overhangs,/ plots of sour earth that pass for gardens,/ in the space between wall and wheelie bin// in all these places the city lilacs are pushing/ their cones of blossom into the spring."" With a keen eye for detail and an ear for the sweet, subtle music of the world around her, Dunmore proves herself to be as adept at unwinding wry, curious, and fascinating stories in her poetry as she is in her acclaimed fiction (e.g., A Spell of Winter). These new poems, her first collection since Out of the Blue: Poems 1975-2001, continue her lyrical investigation into the corners of life-quiet, joyous, or dark. Honest and generous, this work can also be haunting: ""a bunch of violets/ laid on a grave, and a woman walking,/ and black rain falling on the headstone/ of 'the handsomest man I've ever seen.'"" This tender yet intense new collection is recommended, particularly for contemporary British poetry collections."" LJ 07/07 ""The poetry comprising this enthusiastically recommended volume of her work have [sic] been drawn from seven previously published collections and are especially noteworthy for their lyrical language, the emotional impact, and their literary artistry."" --The Midwest Book Review
**
Review
'An electrifying and original talent, a writer whose style is characterised by a lyrical, dreamy intensity' - Guardian 'One of this country's finest literary talents' - Daily Telegraph 'Dunmore gets a wonderful balance between delicate, exact, surprising language and very strong thought - which may be bitter, sardonic, or violent, tender, or wildly imaginative, but is always generous... A lovely poetic electricity runs through her poems' - Sean O'Brien & Ruth Padel, PBS Bulletin
About the Author
Helen Dunmore is a poet, novelist and children's writer. Her poetry books have been given the Poetry Book Society Choice and Recommendations, Cardiff International Poetry Prize, Alice Hunt Bartlett Award and Signal Poetry Award, and Bestiary was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize. Her latest Bloodaxe poetry titles are Out of the Blue: Poems 1975-2001 (2001) and Glad of These Times (2007). She has published nine novels and three books of short stories with Viking Penguin, including A Spell of Winter (1993), Talking to the Dead (1996), The Siege (2001), Mourning Ruby (2003) and House of Orphans (2006). She lives in Bristol.