Belongings

David Constantine's poetry is informed by a humane vision of the world, exploring our possessions, co-ordinates, and relationship with the planet we belong to. The title of his eleventh collection, Belongings, signals that these poems are concerned with both our possessions and what possesses us.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 22 October 2020
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd

David Constantine's poetry is deeply influenced by a compassionate view of the world, similar to the work of European poets who have inspired him. The title of his eleventh collection, Belongings, indicates that these poems explore our possessions and the things that possess us. Within the concept of belongings, the poems tap into a sense of our coordinates, akin to the eastings and northings that provide a map reference. They suggest how we can triangulate a life, drawing on a sense of our place in the world. The poems pose the question, "Where do you belong?" and also consider the hostile notion that you don't belong here. They imply that all poetry, to varying degrees, reflects a life in its defining circumstances, whether they be good or bad.

In the poem "Red," the defining geography is literal, drawn from an old geological map of Manchester. Constantine discovers "the locus itself, a railway cutting / Behind the hospital I was born in, from which the paths of a life led outward." In other poems, the particular becomes universal, representing a territory that holds all our belongings, memories of the people and places we cherish in our hearts. Behind these explorations, another kind of belonging is challenged: our relationship with the planet to which we belong, but which does not belong to us.

Constantine's poetry invites us to reflect on our attachments and the broader world around us. It encourages us to explore our sense of place and belonging, both within ourselves and in relation to others and the planet we inhabit. Through his thoughtful and evocative words, he invites us to consider the complexities of human existence and the interconnectedness of all things.

Weight: 208g
Dimension: 157 x 233 x 15 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781780375205