Thomas Ovans explores the complexities of Bethany Pope’s intense & tightly-wrought poetry
Year 2014
* This issue of London Grip features new poems by: *Mukul Dahal *Frances Smith *Jan Hutchison *Murray Bodo *Geoffrey Heptonstall *Anthony Wilson *Maggie Butt *Ian C Smith *Hugh Underhill *Emma Neale *Michael Lee Johnson *Shadwell Smith *Phil Wood *John Forth *Neil Curry *Malcolm Carson *Angela Kirby *June Hall *Emma Lee *Jo Roach *Laura McKee *Michael […]
Paul McLoughlin admires the substance as well as the style of Adrian Caesar’s poetry
Ibsen’s original text, which he never imagined being staged, is a wild poetic fantasy far removed from his naturalistic works. Irina Brook’s version is inspired by her days in New York during the 1980s when she was in love with the rock scene and Iggy Pop. It is a brave production which tries to take this impossible text on a new journey.
What exactly is the essence of Belgium? Far harder to pin down than French chic or English sang-froid, the nation’s uneasy mix of Walloon and Flemish, surreal and down-to-earth, all miraculously held together, is perfectly encapsulated by the Atomium – a giant, futuristic structure on the northern edge of Brussels.
Anna Robinson’s half-fantasy, half-dream poem sequence strikes a chord with Richie McCaffery
Thomas Ovans finds that Josh Ekroy’s military-related poems usually hit their target
* This issue of London Grip features new poems by: *Wendy French *Peter Kennedy *Teoti Jardine *Rob Yates *Jan Hutchison *Mohammed Kamran *Antony Johae *Nancy Mattson *Ian C Smith *Mary Franklin *Colin Bancroft *David Flynn *Christopher Mulrooney *F M Brown *Sarah Doyle *Allen Ashley *Robert Nisbet *Michael Thomas *Kerrin P Sharpe
First & second opinions: John Harvey’s latest poetry collection is reviewed by Rosie Johnston AND by Norbert Hirschhorn
The French have a phrase for artistes like Camille. Bête de scène. It means a singer or performer who knows how to seduce her audience.
The voice of the river in James Joyce’s Finnegans Wake adapted, directed and performed by Olwen Fouéré. Nothing can prepare an audience for the shock of this show.
Emma Lee appreciates the reflective quality of a farewell collection by Joanna Boulter
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • books, poetry reviews, Year 2014 0