Viva la Vida

Synopsis

This is the seventh volume of Peter Abbs’ poetry. Dana Gioia, the American poet and critic, described Peter Abbs as ‘the rarest of writers – a philosophical poet with a genuine lyrical gift’. The poems gathered here continue to range broadly with a philosophical eye. They include a new group of autobiographical poems, some elegant love poems, and a powerful and disturbing sequence on the breakdown and madness of Nietzsche. The final sequence, Ars Poetica, affirms the power of poetry – of cadence and metaphor, of silence and heteroglossia.

Reviews of this Book

‘Peter Abbs is the rarest of writers – a philosophical poet with a genuine lyric gift. His poems are equally arresting for their substance as their style. Abbs is one of the few contemporary poets sufficiently tough-minded to be able to borrow from Dante, Mandelstam, Rilke and Seferis without being bested by the inevitable comparisons.’ —Dana Gioia

‘A real body of work.’ —Seamus Heaney

‘These are some of the finest poems written by any poet of Peter Abbs’ generation’ —Kathleen Raine

‘The poetry is impressive.’ —The Independent

‘These poems offer constant raids on the inarticulate, conducted with energy and resourcefulness on a range of fronts, from the familial to the cosmic.’ —PN Review