Whether describing the wonder and fright of a crab giving birth, a visit to the dentist, or an estuary full of bodies and shimmering birds, Arthur Attwell shows how the ghosts of our childhood, relationships, and the course of history continue to find and startle us.
“Here is a first collection which, combining the elegance and precision of an American master like Richard Wilbur, has an enviable capacity to contain very large matters in discrete forms.” Stephen Watson
About the author
Arthur Attwell is a father, husband and publishing entrepreneur living in Cape Town, South Africa.
Killing Time is his debut poetry collection. His poetry has been published in New Contrast (Cape Town), Carapace (Cape Town), and Magma (London) .
Reviews
“Attwell’s poetry already has the grace and sweep of greatness . . . Not only is he a craftsman of the most particular focus (prosody), he has the knack for observation as well the ability to select exactly the right word (musicality), without — and this is the magic — losing the dreaminess and longing that makes us read poetry at all.” Diane Awerbuck, Sunday Times
“The poems in Killing Time are the product of ingenuity and labour. Here are dashing images, verbal cunning, original metaphors, layers, inversions, surprises — all the panoply of poetry. But also music, for Attwell well knows that poetry begins and ends in sound.” P R Anderson, Sunday Independent
“. . . a mighty good read and an impeccable display of the capacity of poetry. What we have in Killing Time is the real thing . . .” P R Anderson, LitNet
“Sonder die stremming van vaste rym, maar met ’n inherente ritme en ’n oor vir klank, is Attwell se verse gedissiplineerde poësie . . . pietas in die beste sin van die woord, ’n eerbied vir die lewe en die dood, wat aan die gedigte ’n besondere integriteit verleen.” Cecile Cilliers, Die Burger
“. . . weer eens ’n goeie produk van die Engelsdepartement aan die Universiteit van Kaapstad se skryfskool en dit verklaar waarskynlik sy verskillende tegnieke en sy spel met struktuur.” Marius Crous, Die Beeld
“’n bundel waarin die digter oortuig dat hy vakman is en iets het om te sê. Dit is ’n debuut waaroor ’n mens uiters dankbaar kan wees” Joan Hambidge on Litnet
Details
ISBN: 9781874923695