Current Literature 2003

Are poets more haunted than those who do not write, or are they simply able to record their ghosts compellingly? The poets in this review are haunted by good spirits at times, but even so, they are prone to hear voices and delineate the symptoms of a distress which runs like a fault-line through the language. Nine Horses by Billy Collins [Picador £7.99 120 pp. ISBN 0-3304-1304-X] is a collection that was greatly anticipated in the UK as following on from the intoxicating and witty charm of Taking Off Emily Dickinson’s Clothes. Collins is a poet who satisfies his reader. He is approachable and clear but also able to suggest just the right amount of meaning. Commercially, he is very successful for a poet. His popularity is due largely to the fact that he is a funny poet. His narratives unfold with the clear and unhinged logic of a dream. But Nine Horses is tinged with sadness and ghosts. A typical example is ‘‘Ave Atque Vale’’

Current (fluid · Freedom of Expression and Defamation · Literature, Film, and Journalism Analysis · Poetry Analysis and Criticism · Geology · History · Oceanography