Taking a brief look, the 'book' contains a lot (I mean A Lot) of
prose, explanation, analysis I guess you could say), & even in the
section beyond the long Intro, more of same, huge quotations, etc. I
read the first actual poem, & it's okay, but I'm not sure that someone
who wanted to know, to learn, about the Human Genome would go there
rather than to some scientific introduction. On the other hand, her
earlier books have certainly won some high plaudits from various poets
& reviewers...
Doug
On 22-Apr-08, at 3:27 PM, David Bircumshaw wrote:
> I've just been listening to BBC Radio 3's 'Night Waves' programme, as
> a break from reading poems in Catalan (I hope you are all suitably
> impressed with the pretentiousness of that statement). It included the
> Scots poet Gillian K. Ferguson whose Internet developed sequence on
> the human genome, Poems from the Book of Life, is to be launched, it
> said, this weekend.
> Actually it already seems to be up and running, if you go to:
>
> http://www.thehumangenome.co.uk/THE_HUMAN_GENOME/About.html
>
> and take it from there, it gives the poet and the project. My point of
> interest, though, for I confess I've only glanced at her site so far,
> was that while listening to her read on the radio I could discern
> nothing about the form or particular rhythms of the writing. There was
> possibly a sense of a slightly more heightened rhythm than you would
> get from prose but nothing more. That's not a judgement on her
> writing, but a few moments' impression of what comes across.
> Having said that, I'll go back now to the marvellous sound patterns of
> Josip Vicent's Catalan, with whom I'll be reading on Monday night
> next. (I plan on doing something with the plain English translations I
> have of them)
>
> Best
>
> Dave
>
> --
> David Bircumshaw
> Website and A Chide's Alphabet http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
>
Douglas Barbour
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http://www.ualberta.ca/~dbarbour/
Latest books:
Continuations (with Sheila E Murphy)
http://www.uap.ualberta.ca/UAP.asp?LID=41&bookID=664
Wednesdays'
http://abovegroundpress.blogspot.com/2008/03/new-from-aboveground-press_10.html
A little planet blues, for the
deathwatch.
A season of rictus riffs.
Dennis Lee
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