Publisher: Ethos Books
Phedra is a poetry collection of re-interpreted mythology – with an emphasis on female identity – which delves into the juxtaposition of idolatry and banality. I heard her name and that was all I needed I heard her name and rivers formed
While working in London as secretary to WB Yeats, Ezra Pound by chance began a hotly controversial and widely influential book of translations from one of China’s great poets. Pound, who did not read Chinese, worked from the unfinished notes of Ernest Fenollosa, an American scholar of Japanese art. The volume draws heavily on the work of Rihaku (the Japanese name for Li Bai, 李白), the eighth-century Tang dynasty poet known for his themes of wandering, friendship, drinking, and the natural world. From its first appearance, Cathay divided opinion. The collection influenced the direction of English-language modernist verse, but the distinguished translator Arthur Waley found Pound's versions of Li Bai's poetry so badly "not up to par" that he retranslated several of the poems as a direct rejoinder at the School of Oriental Studies in London. Pound's defenders have argued that the poems succeed precisely because they break from the originals. Hugh Kenner says those who criticize Pound’s variations "miss the point", as he set out to produce innovative English poems using the ancient Chinese texts as "an inspirational springboard, not a constraining template", and Ford Madox Ford said they would make him the greatest poet of his day. Michael Alexander states that many scholars consider them the best translations of Chinese to English poetry ever made, and Wenyan Guo argues that Pound's versions achieve "the greatest fidelity to poem translation," through the "intensity of the emotion and the preservation of the meeting point of poetics," reproducing the aesthetic significance of the original and achieving "unity with the soul of the original poem". This book marks the transition from imagism to vorticism in Pound's work, written during dark days for both him and the world. So are they great poems, great translations, or both? We will never know, but either way they remain a rare glimpse of two of history’s greatest poets.Show book
‘A dime a dozen’ as known in America, is perhaps equal to the English ‘cheap as chips’ but whatever the lingua franca of your choice in this series we hereby submit ‘A Rhyme a Dozen’ as 12 poems on many given subjects that are a well-rounded gathering, maybe even an essential guide, from the knowing pens of classic poets and their beautifully spoken verse to the comfort of your ears. 1 - A Rhyme A Dozen - 12 Poems, 12 Poets, 1 Topic - America - An Introduction 2 - The New Colossus by Emma Lazarus 3 - The Natives of America by Ann Plato 4 - America the Beautiful by Katharine Lee Bates 5 - Bury Me In a Free Land by Frances E W Harper 6 - A Nation's Strength by Ralph Waldo Emerson 7 - To America by James Weldon Johnson 8 - The Crowd at the Ball Game by William Carlos Williams 9 - Harlem by Langston Hughes 10 - Wild Peaches by Elinor Wylie 11 - The Railway Train by Emily Dickinson 12 - The Ballad of the Harp-Weaver by Edna St Vincent Millay 13 - I Hear America Singing by Walt WhitmanShow book
Octopus Mind plays with an array of rich and original metaphors to explore the intricacies of neurodiversity, perception and the human mind. These poems articulate the desire to understand and be understood by oneself and others in a complex world. They observe the nuances of creativity, art, relationships, and self-expression through the lens of neurodiversity, reflecting on the poet's experience of being diagnosed with dyspraxia as an adult. They delve into the challenges of neurodiversity, but also reveal its gifts. Poems respond to visual artists like Gwen John, whose paintings break new ground for women representing their own visions of themselves. Other poems suggest that this can be a struggle however, as Pablo Picasso paints not a woman but his own despair in 'Blue Nude', while Elizabeth Siddal reflects on her own image, fetishized by the Pre-Raphaelite painters, and Henri Rousseau's painting becomes an outlet for self-deception and frustration. Some of the most stunning poems in this collection perform a kind of magic or sleight of hand, as dyspraxia is explored through unique and remarkable metaphors, including a series of artefacts in a museum, a walk along the seashore, and a swaying tree. The 'Octopus Mind' evokes the possibilities of what it means to be human, through obsession, self-deception, realisation, and acceptance. The speaker in Octopus Mind is endearingly humble and we journey with them beyond self-criticism to reclaiming the self. In 'Growing', the narrator declares 'I will grow // into myself, climbing, steady, / grip by grip, leaf by leaf'. In 'Understood' the narrator describes the complex process of re-imagining one's place in the world, armed with new knowledge: 'Slowly, we adjust / our own soft ignorance / unroll our prejudice / in gentle waves.' "A poet of multiple uncanny self-portraits, of the 'octopus mind', who explores the gaps between mind and body, and body and world, with deft, diverse diagnoses."Damian Walford Davies "Extraordinary poems of self-encounter, of divergence, of bruised bodies out of balance with themselves, laid bare – and of new-found identities, and joyous release." Richard Marggraf Turley "Rachel Carney's debut collection delights in its curiosity and surrealism. This is a collection that 'swims out into deep ocean currents' to explore the workings of the mind and the impacts of this on the self." Katherine StansfieldShow book
In Bycatch, a new collection by the Ted Hughes Prize shortlisted-poet Caroline Smith, the poems ask where personhood is when memory and language are gone. They capture the faltering years of a life gradually scraped bare by the deep-sea trawler of dementia – yet find amongst the isolation and sadness, moments also of clarity, epiphany and love. Whilst these poems chart deep waters, they remind us also of the enduring and miraculous bond between those who have known each other for a lifetime. With grace and often with humour, Smith unravels the intricate nature of care, the symbiosis of family, and ultimately the sense of self held in the memories and personal histories of her own parents. It is in the swell of the wave, as ageing and loss threaten to engulf even the words, these extraordinary poems remain tender, unforgettable and salt-sharp.Show book
Wild Life by James McDermott explores the nature of queerness, the queerness of nature, and the queerness of 'natural' masculinity. In bold poems that root themselves firmly in the coastal landscapes of North Norfolk, a vivid and radical dialogue between nature, sexuality and self-discovery emerges. McDermott brings a lyrical physicality to poetry which focuses on the body, desire, shame, and tenderness, creation and re-creation, and where there is 'everything always opening / everything always coming out'. These poems skilfully graft and touch, draw parallels between moments of transformation in the many kinds of ecosystems we exist in – whether outside and between woodland, shoreline and skyline, where the wildlife will 'see me as just another animal', or in human interactions in schools, gyms, and pubs where ideas of manhood, self, and society's expectations collide. Like the coastal spaces where McDermott finds an innate connection, Wild Life identifies that which is fluid and constantly changing – and that nature itself isn't afraid of being colourful, excessive, too much.Show book
After Jayden Lincoln, a New York Times bestselling author, wrongly receives a potentially lethal dose of a trial drug, he now must fight for his own life. While Jayden’s lawyer would eventually turn on him before the case makes it to court, the person you least expect takes on the case in an attempt to avenge the wrong that has been done. Embark on the journey alongside the Lincoln family as they struggle to seek justice against the most influential people in America. Will justice be served or not?Show book
