The Wrecking Light

Robin Robertson's fourth collection is an intense, moving, bleakly lyrical, and at times shocking book. These poems are written with the authority of classical myth, yet sound utterly contemporary. The poet's gaze--whether on the natural world or the details of his own life-- is unflinching and clear, its utter seriousness leavened by a wry, dry, and disarming humor.

Alongside fine translations from Neruda and Montale and dynamic retellings of stories from Ovid, the poems here pitch the power and wonder of nature against the frailty and failure of the human. This is a book of considerable grandeur and sweep that confirms Robertson as one of the most arresting and powerful poets at work today.

Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Mariner Books
Published: 08/11/2011
ISBN: 9780547483337
Pages: 96
Weight: 0.30lbs
Size: 7.80h x 5.30w x 0.40d
Award: Costa Book Awards - Nominee

Review Citations: New York Review of Books 10/27/2011 pg. 82