The poems in this first full collection from New Zealand's Janis Freegard are categorized by Linnaean taxonomy: the six sections Mammalia, Aves, Amphibia, Pisces, Insecta, and Vermes are interspersed with a seven-part poem on the topic of Carolus Linneaus himself. Here Freegard catalogs the various fantastic and artistic, anthropomorphic and objective, rational and self-serving ways that humans draw on the animal world: as symbol and allegory, food and friend, ravening enemy, and sacred icon. From surreal prose poems to gorgeous lists--featuring a stuffed Maori dog, murderous magpies, and cake-shop cockroaches--Freegard's verse reflects the diversity of the animal kingdom and its light-hearted fancifulness belies a strong commitment to conservation.
- ISBN10 1775585778
- ISBN13 9781775585770
- Publish Date 1 July 2011 (first published 1 May 2011)
- Publish Status Active
- Publish Country US
- Imprint Auckland University Press
- Format eBook
- Pages 87
- Language English