Chicago. Review by Barbara Lewis. Born of a rift between French and Dutch speakers in the Belgian city of Leuven, Louvain-la-Neuve, one of Europe’s youngest cities, dates back to 1971 and has a history of creating new traditions.
year 2025
Poetry review – MORGENSTERN’S MAGIC: Rosie Johnston examines the poems of Christian Morgenstern in a new translation by Timothy Adès
Poetry review – NUDE AGAINST A ROCK: John Forth admires Robert Hamberger’s ability to convey both joy and pain during his exploration of human vulnerability
Poetry review – MY DEEP AND GORGEOUS THIRST: Sue Wallace-Shaddad admires Ellen McAteer’s use of imagery and metaphor in the construction of this powerful collection
The Forsythe Programme. Review by Julia Pascal. William Forsythe’s latest work Rearray is the most original of the evening’s presentations. Originally created in 2011, it needs a charismatic ballerina.
Oil Lamps. Review by Alan Price. Dysfunctional marriages are rife in contemporary film dramas yet often don’t shift gear into a high tragic dilemma set against a backcloth of decadence.
Poetry review – SALT AND SNOW: Rennie Halstead finds universal insights in this very personal collection by Naomi Foyle
Poetry review – BREAKING A MARE: Pat Edwards explores the many metaphors in Christina Thatcher’s poems on equine themes
Poetry review – A FULL-ON BASSO PROFUNDO: Jean Atkin investigates a complex and strongly-felt collection by Ken Evans
Grayson Perry: Delusions of Grandeur. Review by Barbara Lewis. One of the joys of Grayson Perry’s exhibition is that it is he who provides the explanatory notes. A standout peg is: “An artist’s job is to bite the hand that feeds him, but not too hard”
Stiletto. Review by Barbara Lewis. On average 5,000 boys were castrated every year in 18th-century Italy in a desperate attempt by poor families to change their fortunes. They nearly always managed only to add tragedy to their misery.
Poetry review – THE LEFT-HANDED SNIPER: John Forth commends Alan Dixon’s ability to be outrageously funny while never losing sight of the possible presence of tragedy
By Michael Bartholomew-Biggs • books, poetry reviews, year 2025 • Tags: books, John Forth, poetry