Michael Donaghy, Collected Poems
Michael Donaghy Collected Poems. Published by Picador 2015. Paperback. I read and re-read this complete collection of Michael Donaghy's poems throughout the summer, outside on the garden bench on warm days, at the kitchen table on cooler days. Even when we had visitors to stay I escaped now and again to read some of my favorites. Donaghy's poems first captivated me when I bought a second hand copy of 'Conjure' published in 2000 so when I read a review of the recently published collection, I went straight out to buy a copy. With an excellent introduction by Sean O'Brien, the three previously published collections, 'Shibboleth', 'Errata' and 'Conjure' are joined by 'Safest' which would have been his newest collection plus a bonus of some uncollected poems. I find his poetry sometimes hard edged, sometimes yearning, often filmic, darkly humorous, political, prosaic, enigmatic. And it is this last quality that takes me back and bac