A selftaught poet influenced by coleridge, paul muldoon, derek mahon, and michael longley, paterson devoted a year to. In this, his first volume of original verse since the awardwinning landing light, don paterson is found writing at his most memorable and direct. Written by don paterson for months id moved across the open water like a wheel under its skin, a frictionless and by then almost wholly abstract matter. Born in dundee, he left school to pursue a career in music, moving to london in 1984. The main focus of the sonnet the thread also revolves. Don paterson is regarded as one of the most skilled formal poets writing in english today, winner of an intimidating array of forward prizes, t. Not because i turned my head, but because what looked at me was dead. In the twentieth century, robert lowell jettisoned the forms ornate rhyme for his confessional sonnets, while ted berrigan turned sonnets into an avantgarde game of cut and paste. This new collection from don paterson, his first since the forward prize.
Don patersons 40 sonnets does pretty much what it says on the dustjacket. Don paterson, says the irish poet paul muldoon, is simply the most interesting midcareer poet at work in the uk. Don patersons a baldy bastard don patersons poems are shite. Indeed poetry in couplets, haikus,3 line or 4 line verses, sonnets, blank verse or free verses have come up to please and instruct the world. This article originally appeared in the new criterion, volume 38 number 6, on page 28. Stay informed with our weekly email newsletter, the critics notebook. Paterson is at his best when writing about heartbreak. Poet don paterson reads the poem mercies from his poetry collection 40 sonnets faber and faber, shortlisted for the 2016 international griffin poetry prize.
Im surprised and delighted to have won especially given the strength of the other books on the shortlist. Download book landing light by don paterson find ios. In the sixteen page introduction paterson describes the history of the form and some of its more common structures, metres, and rhyme schemes. His most recent collection is 40 sonnets farrar, straus and giroux. It is the second time he has won, after taking the inaugural award in 2003 for landing light. Farrar, straus and giroux, 2010, selected poems faber, 2014 and 40 sonnets faber, 2015, farrar, straus. Don paterson s collections of poetry are nil nil faber, 1993, gods gift to women faber, 1997, the eyes after antonio machado, faber, 1999, landing light faber, 2003. Besides working with the form in each of his own collections to date, he has also edited and introduced the anthology 101 sonnets and produced the wonderfully insightful commentary reading shakespeares sonnets. Born in dundee in 1963, don paterson left school to pursue a career in music, living in london and brighton. As one might expect from the selfexplanatory and rather straightforward title 40 sonnets, the fundamental concern of don patersons new collection of poetry is that particular form.
Some take a more traditional form, some are highly experimental, but what these poems share is. However well you think you know the poems, don patersons quirkly reading shakespeares sonnets will make you think again, says adam oriordan by adam oriordan 6. Don paterson poems poems of don paterson poem hunter. I came somewhat hesitantly to 101 sonnets edited by don paterson, on the back of enjoying short and sweet edited by simon armitage in the same series. Phenomenal woman, still i rise, the road not taken, if you forget me, dreams. Wary of academic criticism, don paterson tries to get back to what the poet was actually saying don paterson fri 15 oct 2010 19. Some take a traditional form, while others experiment with the readers conception of the sonnet, but they all share the lyrical intelligence and musical gift that has made paterson one of our most celebrated poets. Don paterson teaches at the university of st andrews, and is poetry editor for the london publishers, picador. In 40 sonnets, don paterson not only explores the density and structure of the traditional sonnet form but also experiments with it in order to illustrate its flexibility. A selftaught poet influenced by coleridge, paul muldoon, derek mahon, and michael longley, paterson devoted a year to reading before he began to write and. The poet tugs and stretches a demanding form to its limit in work.
The halted moment williamsoutar 40 a sonnet is a moments monument. Don patersons selected poems was published in 2012, followed by his most recent collection, 40 sonnets, in 2015. Originally from dundee, scotland, don paterson left school at 16 and moved to london to pursue music and join a band. Even with this history weighing on the project, scottish poet don paterson makes the form fresh and interesting in 40 sonnets. Poetry book society members get 25% off poetry book orders through our website. Hack work and slack moments were unerringly pointed out, with.
He takes perverse pleasure in his brother sending him the tweets of school pupils made to study his poetry for higher english. Don patersons book of commentaries on shakespeares sonnets was emphatically a poets response, rather than an academics. The wreck by don paterson about this poet originally from dundee, scotland, don paterson left school at 16 and moved to london to pursue music and join a band. Reading a collection, poems sometimes seem to signal to one another. An accomplished jazz guitarist, he works solo and with the jazzfolk ensemble, lammas. So, we get poetry churned out as junk food items like snacks and tiffin rather. In 2002 he was awarded a scottish arts council creative. Each book is sewn and bound by hand, using a quarterbound case of real cloth and printed panels front and back.
It is a deceptive title however, very probably deliberately so, as those descriptors are not very applicable to the poems contained within the book. Don patersons parenting poems and family ethics in landing light. He won an eric gregory award in 1990 and his poem a private bottling won the arvon foundation international poetry competition in 1993. Pdf don patersons parenting poems and family ethics in. Don paterson wins second costa poetry award world poetry.
We would like to thank don patersonwho was among our guests at babel festival last yearfor granting us permission to publish this selection from his latest book of poems, 40 sonnets. Some take a more traditional form, some are highly. Paterson seems far more comfortable referring to the poems in 40 sonnets he feels are duffers, not descriptions i agree with. So do it or dont landing light book 2003 landing light by don paterson phantom don paterson obe frsl born 1963 is a scottish poet landing light 2003 won both the 2003 t. Don reads from his shortlisted collection 40 sonnets at southbank centres royal festival hall. After reading 40 sonnets patersons fifth and shortest collection to date. Donald paterson obe frse frsl born 1963 is a scottish poet, writer and musician. He found success with the jazzfolk ensemble lammas, but was captivated by poetry upon encountering poet tony harrison.
The poet, who was born in dundee, won the prize for his latest collection, 40 sonnets, published by faber and faber. Alan spence, the herald, books of the year 40 sonnets is simply extraordinary. He was included on the list of 20 poets chosen for the poetry societys new generation poets promotion in 1994, and in 1997. This collection from don paterson, his first since the forward prizewinning rain in 2009, is a series of forty luminous sonnets. Download now this collection, which won the 2015 costa poetry award, is an exhibition of the dundeeborn poets stunningly accomplished adoption of the sonnet s ancient structure this collection from don paterson, his first since the forward prizewinning rain in 2009, is a series of forty luminous sonnets. The english and italian translations have been commissioned by specimen to poets katerina anghelakirooke and matteo campagnoli, respectively. While some take a traditional form, and some are highly experimental, all these poems show the rare intelligence and lyric gift that has been the hallmark of his work since. James kidd, independent 40 sonnets is a richly emotional, often plangent and highly assured piece of work. This is a rich and accomplished new work from one of the foremost poets writing in english today. All these poems have the air of being new yorker poems polished, flintily intelligent, highbrow though there is more formal variation here than the books. He was included on the list of 20 poets chosen for the poetry societys new generation poets promotion in 1994. His first book nil nil was published to acclaim in 1993, and in the same year he returned to scotland as writer in residence at the university of dundee.
Pdf on jan 1, 2020, haoran chen and others published don patersons parenting poems and family ethics in. In doing so, it joins a noble band of sonnet cycles from petrarchs canzoniere to shakespeares 154, john berrymans. In 40 sonnets paterson returns to some of his central themes contradiction and strangeness, tension and transformation, the dream world, and the divided self in some of the most powerful and formally assured poems he has written to date. We would like to thank don paterson who was among our guests at babel festival last yearfor granting us permission to publish this selection from his latest book of poems, 40 sonnets. Shakespeares sonnets by don paterson culture the guardian. Firstly i shared indeed probably more totally embraced armitages comments on the 14 line sonnet form in his introduction to the latter book. In an assembly of masterful lyrics and monologues, he conjures a series of fables and charms that serve both to expose us to the unsettling forces within the world and to offer some protection against them.