Ireland Is Changing Mother
A collection of poignant poems exploring grief and social issues in Ireland.
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Published:22nd Sep '11
Should be back in stock very soon
This collection features Rita Ann Higgins at her most provocative, blending heartwarming poetry with sharp social commentary. It explores themes of grief and the experiences of the Irish dispossessed.
Ireland Is Changing Mother showcases Rita Ann Higgins at her most incisive and engaging. This collection features a series of poems that blend both provocative themes and heartfelt emotion, capturing the complexities of life in contemporary Ireland. Through her unique voice, Higgins addresses the high jinks and jittery grief experienced by those who feel marginalized, offering a poignant commentary on the social issues that affect the Irish dispossessed.
Higgins, known for her gutsy and anarchic style, reflects on the changes in Irish society, particularly in the wake of the Celtic Tiger's rise and fall. Her work resonates with readers as she navigates the tension between nostalgia and the harsh realities faced by many. The poems serve as both a celebration of resilience and a critique of the socio-economic landscape, making her insights particularly relevant in today's context.
This collection marks Higgins' first new work following her retrospective, Throw in the Vowels, and it sets the stage for her subsequent publication, Tongulish.Ireland Is Changing Mother is not just a collection of poems; it is a powerful exploration of identity, belonging, and the ever-evolving narrative of Ireland. Through her sharp wit and emotional depth, Higgins invites readers to reflect on their own experiences and the broader societal changes shaping their lives.
It shouldn't be unusual to hear a smart, sassy, unabashed, female working-class voice in Irish writing. But it is. Higgins's achievement doesn't depend on that rarity value, but it is certainly amplified by it. Higgins is, quite consciously, an artistic outsider - a unique fusion of wry, deadpan humour on the one side and absolute sincerity on the other. She doesn't congratulate herself for her sympathy with those who are (in this case literally) outside the world of art. She simply sees and writes. Her humour and playfulness keep sentimentality and self-righteousness resolutely at bay - She has made what is still the most direct and powerful statement of the class divide in Irish society - The boom years had no great effect on Higgins's voice, on her point of view or on her style. She had a manic linguistic energy long before the hysteria of the Tiger era quickened the pulse of the culture as a whole: Higgins could be regarded, in one of her guises, as Ireland's first rapper. - Her political satire hasn't lost its edge, but it no longer reads as a cry in the wilderness - Now the bubble's burst, we're left with our real treasures, and Rita Ann Higgins is one of them. -- Fintan O'Toole * The Irish Times *
A brilliantly spiky, surreal blend of humour and social issues. Her poems are a witty mix of the erotic and the upfront political from a female perspective, with wonderful rhythms that effortlessly incorporate direct speech. -- Ruth Padel * Independent on Sunday *
ISBN: 9781852249052
Dimensions: unknown
Weight: unknown
72 pages