Swithering

by Robin Robertson

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Description

"To "swither" means to suffer indecision or doubt, but there is no faltering in these poems; any uncertainty is not in the lines or the sounds or the images, but only in the themes of flux and change and transformation that thread their way through this powerful third collection. Robin Robertson has written a book of remarkable cohesion and range that calls on his knowledge of folklore and myth to fuse the old ways with the new. From raw, exposed poems about the end of childhood to show more erotically charged lyrics about the end of desire, from a brilliant retelling of the metamorphosis and death of Actaeon to the final freeing of the waters in "Holding Proteus," these are close examinations of nature--of the bright epiphanies of passion and loss. At times sombre, at times exultant, Robertson's poems are always firmly rooted in the world we see, the life we experience: original, precise, and startlingly clear."--Publisher's website. show less

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Author Information

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14+ Works 1,106 Members
Raised on the northeast coast of Scotland, Robin Robertson is a highly acclaimed poet and editor. His poems have appeared in the New Yorker, the Times Literary Supplement, Grand Street, the London Review of Books, and other publications. He lives in London

Awards and Honors

Common Knowledge

Canonical title
Swithering
Original publication date
2006
Important places
Tynemouth Priory
Dedication
for my brother Tim Robertson
Blurbers
Banville, John

Classifications

Genres
Poetry, Fiction and Literature
DDC/MDS
821.914Literature & rhetoricEnglish & Old English literaturesEnglish Poetry1900-1900-19991945-1999
LCC
PR6068 .S95Language and LiteratureEnglishEnglish Literature1961-2000
BISAC

Statistics

Members
93
Popularity
346,382
Rating
½ (3.69)
Languages
English
Media
Paper, Ebook
ISBNs
4
ASINs
2