A Whistling of Birds by Isobel Dixon

Elizabeth Bishop’s hawkweed, John Berryman’s hummingbirds, Ted Hughes’s burnt fox – the birds, beasts and flowers of Isobel Dixon’s new collection are at times kin to D.H. Lawrence, whose essay ‘Whistling of Birds’ lends this book its name, though each poem here is its own vivid testament to the natural world, and our often troubled and troubling place in it. Lyrical, vigorous, inventive, A Whistling of Birds is at times in conversation with Lawrence’s iconic collection, Birds, Beasts and Flowers, but also ranges widely through the worlds of other writers and makers – from the Venerable Bede to Emily Dickinson, Georgia O’Keeffe to Glenn Gould, and a wealth of other connections closely examined and delicately drawn.

With its resonant elegies and notes of celebration, this is a collection that flexes, hums and brims with energy, yet surely draws you in to its quiet, reflective heart.

Illustrated by:Douglas Robertson
Format:Paperback / softback 124 pages, 10 black and white illustrations
Publisher:Nine Arches Press
Imprint:Nine Arches Press
ISBN:9781913437725
Published:22 Jun 2023
Classifications:Poetry by individual poets
Weight:258g