As If To Sing by Paul Henry
The power of song, to sustain the human spirit, resonates through this new collection from Paul Henry. In 'Cave Songs', a trapped caver, haunted by a 'ghost choir', crawls back through songs to the sea; Welsh soldiers in 'As if to Sing', pack their hearts into a song, on the eve of the Battle of Passchendaele, 'for safe-keeping'; a woman's grief is 'unconscious of its song' and a child sings 'a song with no beginning or end' as father and son cross a bridge in the mist. Like the 'river’s trick' in Nightlines, 'at once moving and still', past and present share the same lyric moment in Henry’s work, the same 'torchsong' of music and light. A familiar surrealism pervades 'The Key to Penllain', the collection’s longest poem, set in the 1960’s. Its time-bending dream-sequence sees Greek gods sunbathing on a Ceredigion beach while two children dig for a key that could save the planet. Full of the musical lyricism admired by readers and fellow poets alike, 'As if to Sing' is an essential addition to this poet's compelling body of work.
Paul Henry was born in Aberystwyth and came to poetry through songwriting. Since receiving an Eric Gregory Award he’s published eight collections with Seren, including Boy Running and The Brittle Sea: New & Selected Poems. His work has been widely anthologised and translated. Paul has performed his poems and songs at festivals in Europe, Asia and the USA. He’s guest-edited Poetry Wales and presented programmes for BBC Radio Wales, Radio 3 and Radio 4. www.paulhenrypoet.co.uk
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781781726600 |
| ISBN 10 | 1781726604 |
| Title | As If To Sing |
| Author | Paul Henry |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Poetry Wales Press |
| Year published | 2022-04-11 |
| Number of pages | 72 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |