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Review This collection of poems by Michael Donaghy begins impressively. The first poem, "The Excuse", is a comic-but-elegiac, sly-yet-touching riff on the pain of losing and remembering a father: "'My father's sudden death has shocked us all', Even me, and I've just made it up". The second, equally sensitive poem "Not Knowing the Words", also deals with a dead father, but this time gently and eloquently argues with itself as to how the father's void can be filled. Then there's the fourth poem, "Black Ice and Rain". This is a true tour de force: a shocking, troubling, mercurial, coolly erotic and beautiful poem on love, loss, guilt and secrecy:and where I've hoped to hear my name gasped out, from cradle, love bed, death bed, there instead I catch her voice, her broken lisp, his name.It would be very difficult for any poet to sustain this very high quality of writing, and Donaghy doesn't. Later on in Conjure there is more than one insubstantial lyric, the odd bit of hack writing, some shorter verses that could have been excluded. But just when you are getting wearied Donaghy throws up another absolute gem, another breathtaking poem which sparkles with his tell-tale wit, demotic bathos, verbal dexterity, emotional candour, pure lyrical style and formal diversity. --Sean Thomas Book Description Poetry Book Society Choice for Autumn 2000, and shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize See all Product description
J**B
A beautiful read
I was introduced to this collection by a friend who brought it to a book group - I don't love all the poems but there are some moments of real beauty in here - the title poem Conjure is really amazing - and it is worth buying the book for this poem alone - it is a beautiful poem which could equally be about the narrator's relationship with his son or his father.
A**M
stunning collection
Donaghy's latest collection is a stunning one. Donaghy is an excellent poet. "Black Ice and Rain", one of the better poems, is a tragic narrative/dramatic monologue about loss. The poem works on many levels. Immediately following is "Our Life Stories", which is another of the best of the poems. The other poems in the collection are also very good. I draw your attention to these two only because they stand up as not only the best in the book, but some of the best poetry being written. The only complaint I have is that the quality of the binding Picador did is very poor. I only hope that as they reprint this volume they'll improve the quality of their bookmaking.
A**R
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