New and Collected Poems

Plot

Ruth Fainlight is one of Britain's most distinguished poets. Born in New York City, she has lived mostly in England since the age of 15, publishing her first collection, Cages, in 1966. Her poems `give us truly new visions of usual and mysterious events' (A.S. Byatt). Each is a balancing act between thought and feeling, revealing otherness within the everyday, often measuring subtle shifts in relationships between women and men.Images of the moon, however interpreted - whether as stern and stony presence or protective maternal symbol - recur throughout her work. Peter Porter Discribed one of her collections as having `the steadiness and clarity of the moon itself'.This substantial New & Collected Poems covers work written over 50 years, drawing on over a dozen books as well as a whole new collection.`Ruth Fainlight has always been a painterly poet, sensuous and observant, who has paid particular attention to myth as it shapes destiny or gives meaning...the mind winding itself into narratives, prompted now by pain, now loss, now keen pleasure' - George Szirtes, TLS`If there is a suggestion of feminist defiance here, so much the better; at least Fainlight isn't strident. With so much talent and confidence, she doesn't need to be'---Derek Mahon, London Review of Books`Her voice can be cutting as well as lyrical... Fainlight is terrific on the subject of ageing' ---Helen Dunmore, Poetry Review`Bright and glittering...Her work has matured elegantly, and this too is an exhilarating book'---Margaret Drabble, Guardian (Books of the Year)