Niall OConnor's Change in the Wind (image may be subject to copyright) |
Of OConnor, who published this collection
of poems earlier in the year, Bolger said: “Here is a poet who understands the
wonder of youth as finely as he grasps the slow journey of old age; a writer
whose imagination is equally at home in his native country as when capturing
the waterscapes of Venice or streets of Budapest with observations that are
eloquent, inquisitive and challenging.”
It is true, I think, and OConnor also
manages to confer seasonal relevance
on his work with Snow:
on his work with Snow:
“…and I watch as in slow motion the falling
eyelashes of snow
whisper me towards sleep…”
And Snow
Girl:
“…and after two further button ornaments
were pressed
she
stood back with pride
to admire the snow girl by her side…”
Bishop's Move (image may be subject to copyright) |
However, it is his subtle and eloquent
descriptions of the everyday – for instance, ‘She was a thinning cloud of smoke
a soft draft would some day soon sweep from the living world’ – that create moments of beauty to reward the reader throughout this novel.
That and the
somewhat biblical openings to many chapters create a sense of the languid
liturgical that is at once rooted in our present and some time that is now, maybe, past.
These are slim volumes and perfect stocking fillers. Both are available from a number of bookstores and are also available to order online
through their separate publishers. Maybe a home should be found for both in
that great new library in the cloud – where e-readers go to read?
Happy Christmas
Barbara Clinton © 2013
A lovely early Christmas present . . .Thank you Barbara . . :)
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