Steve Spence - A Curious Shipwreck

Paperback, 88pp, 9x6ins

Download a PDF sampler from this book here.

Shortlisted for the 2010 Forward Prize for best first collection

These are poems which are ostensibly about pirates yet the subtext has a satirical impulse which is fuelled by surrealism and a delight in upending the apple cart. The author revels in entertaining juxtapositions and in breathless passages of 'stream-of-consciousness' rant, which work wonderfully on the page or performed live. While there are playful references to traditional pirate mythology these poems also talk about the times we live in, from the joint catastrophes of global warming and the credit crunch to popular culture and media trivia. Wordplay is endemic. There's more than a hint of Lewis Carroll and Edward Lear in this book, as the shadowy figure of Alice entices the pirates into further adventures, yet the ships run aground or never manage to leave the harbour. Absurdity is the keyword, as a sense of fun runs parallel to a skewed commentary on topical events.

"I think these poems are likeable, funny and intelligent, their satire exact for these times" – Michael Mackmin, The Rialto.

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