Wow! eBook
Witch
Author(s): Damain Walford Davies (Author)
- Publisher: Seren
- Publication Date: June 1, 2012
- Language: English
- Print length: 72 pages
- ISBN-10: 1854115790
- ISBN-13: 9781854115799
Book Description
With the narrative pull of a novel and the vibrancy of a play, this collection offers a thrilling portrait of a Suffolk village in the throes of the witchcraft hunts of the mid-17th century. The poems in this collection are dark spells, compact, and moving, delivered by those most closely involved in the “making” of a witch. The speakers—from priest Thomas Love and the villagers, who slowly succumb to suspicion and counter-accusation, to the witch hunter Francis Hurst and the “witch” herself—authentically conjure a war-torn society in which religious paranoia amplifies local grievances to fever pitch.
Editorial Reviews
Review
“A succession of well-observed, witty, sparely written poems satisfyingly visceral, and unsentimental.” —Alice Kavounas, Poetry Review
“Crackle[s] with intelligence and inventiveness . . . [a] performer with great panache and stylistic verve.” —Nicholas Murray, Planet
“The diction pulses with the power of different registers and the accompanying emotional gear-changes are psychologically satisfying. Above all, there is a musical rightness.” —John Redmond, New Welsh Review
“The attention to structure, the sparing use of words; Davies’ poems are carefully constructed, clever edifices, and well worth a perusal.” —Ambit
About the Author
Damian Walford Davies is the author of two previous volumes of poetry, including Suit of Lights—a Wales Literature Exchange Bookshelf Choice. He is the head of the department of English and creative writing at Aberystwyth University.
