The Frost Fairs by John Mccullough
The Frost Fairs is a moving book with a global and historical reach, dealing with love in many forms from modern transatlantic relationships to hidden gay lives from the past. Formally deft yet deeply poignant, these poems use language filled with imagination and musicality in their exploration of the possibilities of the human heart.John McCullough's debut collection introduces a writer acutely aware of poetry's transformative power, its ability to question assumptions and subtly shift perspective.. Sharp yet compassionate, formal yet nimble, the poems glitter with slang and modern culture while maintaining an engaging seriousness.
-- Ben Wilkinson * The Guardian *[T]he sheer heart-stopping quality of the better poems, however, which make this collection such a rewarding and moving debut.
-- A.B. Jackson * Horizon Review *McCullough has a very distinctive style of voice, creating a close affinity with the reader which builds to a wonderful empathy with the voices in this collection. A remarkable debut, he offers a playful, yet serious set of poetry which is full of nothing other than sincerity.
-- Liam Parkin * LoveReading.co.uk *John McCullough is a delight to read, the poems sit there waiting for you to look at them again ... He’s an origami poet and the pages turn from horses to white capped waves to Sargasso seas to bathetic abyss and back ... It’s a lovely journey to take with a master of his art and I’d recommend this first compilation as an excellent gift for anyone with an interest in contemporary poetry, poetry that explores the LGBT experience of love and intimacy and anyone who likes a damn good read.
-- Eric Page * Gscene Magazine *At the core of John McCullough’s The Frost Fairs is a hard-won and solid-as-granite foundation, a lasting literary achievement that’s replete with range, control, and ambition. Regardless of how far this achievement carries him — and all indications promise that the ascent will surely be a lofty one — my affection will remain for the figure at the end of his poem “The Dictionary Man,” the lone boy who’s asleep at his desk, dreaming over the words.
-- Jason Roush * Popsublime *Tipped with voyeurism, each of the poems within displays a real lightness of touch and mischievous freedom, manifested as whisper and anecdote concerning lives glimpsed in passing. Ultimately, this collection needs to be dipped into, in order to get the most impact from each poem. Read all in one go, the quiet play of each interaction risks blurring into the next, as skaters and stallholders on the arrested Thames.
* Dr. Fulminare *In his fine debut collection The Frost Fairs, John McCullough turns out tender love poems and imaginative thought experiments with equal aplomb.
-- Suzi Feay * The Independent Books of the Year *The judges were impressed with the polish and precision of the language, the confidence of the writing and the scope of the work. The Frost Fairs isn’t a one-note collection, but one that covers many themes and strikes many chords, from modern transatlantic relationships to hidden gay lives from the past. It’s also surprisingly mature for a first book – a debut which doesn’t feel like a debut.
-- Paul Burston * Head Judge for the Polari First Book Prize *| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781844713981 |
| ISBN 10 | 1844713989 |
| Title | The Frost Fairs |
| Author | John Mccullough |
| Series | Salt Modern Poets |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Salt Publishing |
| Year published | 2011-04-27 |
| Number of pages | 64 |
| Prizes | Winner of Polari First Book Prize 2012 (UK) |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |