Moder Dy by Roseanne Watt

Moder Dy by Roseanne Watt

Written in English, interspersed with Shetlandic dialect throughout, this eagerly awaited debut collection from Shetland poet Roseanne Watt contains profound, assured and wilfully spare poems that are built from the sight, sound and heartbeat of the land as much as from the sea.

'Moder Dy refers to an undercurrent believed to run east from Foula, taking Shetland fishermen back homeNo islander today would know how to “read” the sea surgace in order to latch onto it, and despite the testimony of past generations of fisherfolk there is no conclusive scientific proof that it exists. As a metaphor for the impulse behind Watt’s poetry, though – a half-remembered undercurrent pulling one back home – it’s just about perfect'

-- David Robinson * Scotsman Sessions *

'Watt’s poetry has a strength, suppleness and economy that Morgan himself would have welcomed. It has the rich sparseness of haiku'

* The Bottle Imp (Best Scottish Books, 2019) *

'Held me in thrall. Watt writes in English and in Shetlandic dialect, providing her own translations of the latter, bringing levity and precision to both'

-- Gavin Francis * The New Statesman *

'An atmospheric offering from the Northern Isles'

* Herald Poem of the Day *

‘Not only are wildlife and landscape, weather and ocean treated with a buoyant sensibility, but there is an emotional sensitivity too’

* The Wee Review *

'This collection of work – bold, compassionate, life-affirming – underlines Watt’s role as one of the most significant young voices not just in Shetland but in Scotland at large. … This bonny book has never been far from by hand since I acquired it… I should probably order another cover now'

* Shetland Times *

'Extraordinarily intricate and multi-layered. An exercise in linguistic navigation. Unputdownable'

-- Roger Cox * Yorkshire Post *

'I really can't overstate just how damn good I think this collection is, how rich it is, or how much I want everybody I know to read it. I am absolutely in awe of what Roseanne Watt has done here, hers is a voice to follow'

-- Haley Anderton * Desperate Reader blog *

'This is a celebration of language, place, and the mystery of being alive'

-- Janice Galloway

'A shimmering, unforgettable collection'

-- John Glenday

'an incredible work of poetics, social history, and translation, …all happening before our eyes'

* Paris Review *

'this collection is beautiful and profound from start to finish and explores the land, heart and soul of Roseanne’s home, Shetland'

* Boom Saloon *

'Her smouldering, susurrus tones ensure these poems crackle into the ears like the best sounding bonfires'

-- Michael Pedersen * Electric Literature *

Roseanne Watt is a poet, filmmaker and musician from Shetland. She is currently poetry editor for The Island Review and was the winner of the 2015 Outspoken Poetry Prize (Poetry in Film) and runner up in the 2018 Aesthetica Creative Writing Award. In 2018, her debut collection, Moder Dy, won the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award; Moder Dy was also shortlisted for the 2019 Saltire Society Poetry Book of the Year Award. She lives and works between Edinburgh and Shetland.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9781846974878
ISBN 10	1846974879
Title	Moder Dy
Author	Roseanne Watt
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Paperback
Publisher	Birlinn General
Year published	2019-05-23
Number of pages	96
Prizes	Joint winner of The Highland Book Prize 2019, Short-listed for Saltire Society Poetry Book of the Year 2019
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.