Gift Songs
Explorations of Faith, Community, and Connection Through Poetry
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Vintage Publishing
Published:1st Mar '07
Should be back in stock very soon
John Burnside's Gift Songs is a profound collection of poems exploring faith, connection, and the beauty of life, culminating in meditative reflections on place.
In Gift Songs, John Burnside presents a captivating collection of poems that delve into themes of faith, connection, and the intricate relationships within the community of living beings. The essence of a 'gift song' lies at the heart of this work, reflecting the Shaker belief that a truly good song is one that offers itself generously to others. Through these verses, Burnside explores the idea of a free church that places faith not in rigid doctrines but in the intangible connections that bind us to one another and to the world around us.
The collection takes readers on a journey through time and space, encouraging a renewal of faith in an ordered universe. Burnside's poetic voice resonates with the notion that to truly understand and appreciate the world, one must first become part of it. This theme is echoed in his meditation on the artistic process, reminiscent of the Japanese philosophy that emphasizes deep connection and immersion in one's subject.
The book culminates in the 'Four Quartets,' a series of meditative poems that serve as a spiritual homage to the string quartets of Bartók and Britten. These pieces not only showcase Burnside's mastery of poetic form but also invite readers to reflect on their own connections to place and time. Gift Songs is a testament to the beauty and power of poetry as a medium for expressing faith, mystery, and the enduring bonds among all living creatures.
If genius is operating anywhere in English poetry at present, I feel it is here, in Burnside's singular music -- Adam Thorpe * Observer *
I love the way John Burnside looks at the world. He doesn't just look: he watches. He sees into secret spaces that lie somewhere between the hidden and the revealed... [He] crafts a poetry as precise in its detail, as subtle in its perceptions, as respectful in its attentions as the blade of a brain surgeon's scalpel -- Rachel Campbell-Johnston * The Times *
A stunningly good writer of poetry and fiction -- Christina Patterson * Independent *
The new appearance of a collection of John Burnside's poems is now an event... His has become a voice we rely on; he is a shaman-cum-seer who finds a lucid magic in the ordinary, a life of implication in passing moments, an X-ray truth, an inner light in our daily lives -- Tom Adair * Scotland on Sunday *
Burnside has a stillness and emotional restraint, a respect for the observer and observed alike which is serious, exemplary and rare * Times Literary Supplement *
One of the most outstandingly gifted poets in Britain. He, like one of his subjects, is 'tuned into the plainsong of the stars -- Catherine Lockerbie * Scotsman *
- Short-listed for Forward Poetry Prize: Best Collection 2007
ISBN: 9780224079976
Dimensions: 197mm x 130mm x 9mm
Weight: 128g
112 pages