Oxford Poets S.
2 total works
The second work in the "Oxford Poets" series by Tobias Hill, this collection has a narrative feel, demonstrated in poems which depend on his nocturnal, somewhat ferret-like, eye and an emotional stance somewhere between distance and intimacy. Essentially we are trailing through our own mean streets, following the tracks of rivers and canals, listening to the sounds of the animals in their cages, particularly from London Zoo, and picking up impressions as if they were bits of interesting rubbish that signify something important.
This lively first collection from a young, much-travelled writer, falls into two parts. `Transit' includes poems of abroad, especially Japan, where Tobias Hill lived for two years. `Back to the City' is about London, from hangover to Underground; Hiroshima; and the `City of Clocks', a fusion of cities and ages. They are poems crammed with a young man's curiosity and eye for detail, and show his great ability for story-telling. Tobias Hill lives in London, and besides writing (his short stories are to be published by Faber) he reviews and edits several new magazines. This book is intended for poetry readers, especially younger ones (schools/colleges).