The Keelie Hawk

Reviews

Jamie illuminates the mysterious force of poetry in our lives as an unending shadow-play of art and nature, self and soul. [Kathleen Jamie] has perfect pitch, a natural sense of cadence and verbal melody that helps to give her work the feel of organic inevitability An engaging and energetic collection that follows the cycle of a year, cycles within cycles, the migrations of birds and people. The many voices of Scotland’s natural and social worlds combine to create an outstanding aural map of our times Both poem and translation are so engaging and vital – whatever language Kathleen works in, she conjures it to life . . . It’s an antidote to the dominance of Standard English, and broadens our scope for self-expression. Jamie’s poetry offers a new way of seeing the world and a new form of intelligence about ourselves and other species . . . This generous, inquisitive book helps us re-engage with the world by unlearning our familiar sightlines. The poems reflect a rare intimacy with nature, recalling a time when everything in the natural world was seen as metaphor. The intimacy and the curiosity allows questions to open up poems to the reader . . . some of the short lyrics here are perfect Expand reviews