Very sorry to only just hear of Richard’s passing. I remember his reading at PanMacmillan’s offices in London when we shortlistees all gathered for the Picador Poetry Prize in 2010; his understated, emotionally intelligent lyricism made him a worthy winner. The kind of poet we should make much more of in our garrulous age. A lovely, insightful review. I’ll track this one down.
Very sorry to only just hear of Richard’s passing. I remember his reading at PanMacmillan’s offices in London when we shortlistees all gathered for the Picador Poetry Prize in 2010; his understated, emotionally intelligent lyricism made him a worthy winner. The kind of poet we should make much more of in our garrulous age. A lovely, insightful review. I’ll track this one down.
Thank you for this review that prompted me to buy the collection
A wonderful review for a wonderful poet. Thanks so much for sharing and yes I often observed great poets have sad endings.
like the close reading of specific images the “frisbee… thinking,” the loaf-like heron, the “half-drowned brush”