Michelene Wandor’s new poetry collection travels in many directions. There is geography: Italy, Palestine, Ethiopia, Mesopotamia, France, Egypt, the Lebanon, and, of course, the UK. Embarked personnel include Gertrude Bell, T.E. Lawrence, Marlon Brando, Isabella d’Este and Lucrezia Borgia, Solomon and the Queen of Sheba, George Bernard Shaw and the Gonzagas. Thematically, the poems alight at Greek mythology, gender, the evergreens of love, anguish, power and tragedy. The first and final touchpoints lie in the language itself, which is both guide and sustenance. Lyrical and narrative, startlingly evocative, elisions and connections, thrilling, satisfying and demanding, the words and poetic shapes travel down and across pages and spaces. The travel metaphor is only a beginning. Original and exciting, this collection resonates in mind and memory.From reviews of Michelene Wandor’s other books:‘Musica Transalpina’ (a Poetry Book Society Recommendation): ‘Michelene Wandor…combines her erudtion and passion as poet, musician and scholar in a collection that gives immense pleasure…’ (Alan Brownjohn)‘Natural Chemistry’: ‘…rich, risk-taking ingenious and musical.’ (Elaine Feinstein)
