The Angel and the Fox
 |
The
Angel
and The
Fox
ISBN 09541573 2 X |
This
collection
of 54 poems
is divided
into six
sections.
The title
sequence of
eighteen
poems
examines the
force of
ambition,
contrasting
high and
apparently
unselfish
inspiration
(the angel)
with low
cunning and
manoeuvre
(the fox).
The second
section
consists of
reflections
on loss and
discovery.
The third
addresses
memory. The
fourth looks
at sinister
aspects of
life; the
fifth at
more
optimistic
moments. The
sixth is an
extended
elegy for
the poet’s
brother.
Two
well-known
poets have
commented on
the volume.
For Fergus
Allen, it
was
“verbally
dexterous
and
intellectually
satisfying”.
David
Holbrook
found it
“full of an
irony about
experience
that demands
close
attention”.
Six poems
from the
collection
follow: