Love’s Bonfire by Tom Paulin – review
Tom Paulin's straight talking and mastery of language ensure that his ninth collection of poems is a triumphTom Paulin's Love's Bonfire is as combustible as good conversation but goes beyond conversation – as poetry should. Putting the Pan On is a pa...
The Red House by Mark Haddon
The author of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time takes us on a family holiday to Wales. And nothing much happens in a thoroughly delicious wayW H Auden once asked playfully: "When life fails/ What's the good of going to Wales?" Mark Hadd...
The Dark Film by Paul Farley – review
Illumination springs from everyday life in these startling, economic poemsSeeing things – in every sense – is Paul Farley's subject. Even darkness becomes visible if you stay with it, as the title poem testifies. A film of "Unrated dark, two hours ...
Moon on a Rainbow Shawl; Can We Talk about This?; Shivered – review
Cottesloe; Lyttelton; Southwark Playhouse; all LondonIn 1957 Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, by Errol John, a young Trinidadian, won an Observer drama contest. The task was to write a play set after the second world war. The judges were Peter Hall, Michael Ba...
Moon on a Rainbow Shawl; Can We Talk about This?; Shivered – review
Cottesloe; Lyttelton; Southwark Playhouse; all LondonIn 1957 Moon on a Rainbow Shawl, by Errol John, a young Trinidadian, won an Observer drama contest. The task was to write a play set after the second world war. The judges were Peter Hall, Michael Ba...
Praise in Which I Live and Move and Have My Being by Paul Durcan – review
From the ephemera of romance to suicidal tendencies, Durcan's 22nd collection blends melody, horror and wry humourPaul Durcan has a facility that is his best friend and worst enemy. He is the author of 22 books of poetry and his muse shows no sign of w...
When I Was a Child I Read Books by Marilynne Robinson – review
The author of Gilead takes on Dawkins and co in these delicate, persuasive essays on society and theologyI picked up When I Was a Child… with a curiosity about Marilynne Robinson equal only to her disinclination to give anything away – in a homespu...
The Death of King Arthur by Simon Armitage
Simon Armitage's extravagant poetic riff on an alliterative Arthurian epic is thrilling stuffLong poems about battles have never been my thing. When I studied Anglo-Saxon at university, I remember complaining that whenever I wasn't sure of a word, it t...
Redesigning Lord of the Flies
A competition inviting teenagers to come up with a new cover for William Golding's classic novel produced some stunning resultsThe cliché warns you should not judge a book by its cover. But can you judge a cover through what you already know about a b...
I Married You for Happiness by Lily Tuck – review
An elegant novel about the anatomy of a marriage dwells more on art – and maths – than emotionThis novel is an elegant vigil – a long night's journey into day. A wife, Nina, sits with her husband, Philip, who has died of a heart attack. She waits...
Swallows and Amazons – review
Vaudeville, London When Tom Morris's production sailed into view in 2010 at Bristol Old Vic, Susannah Clapp recognised it as "exact and imaginative" and a "triumph". Right from the start, in this West End incarnation, it is evident that its inspiring s...
The Road from Herat by Clare Holtham – review
This fine volume documents the life of an abandoned child who became a bus conductor, Cambridge bluestocking, Uzbek chieftain's wife… and skilled poetThis is not an ordinary collection of poetry. It is Clare Holtham's first and final book – she die...
