Between a Drowning Man

Martyn Crucefix's new collection of poems explores the forensic unfolding of two landscapes: contemporary Britain post-2016 and the countryside of the Marche in central, eastern Italy. Both places are vividly evoked, representing psychic journeys and the liberation of empathetic feeling. The longer sequence, 'Works and Days,' is free-wheeling and allusive, while the Italian poems are more formally controlled. Both sequences travel towards death, challenging the powerful dividing walls between Thee and Me and the Daoist erasure of the assumed gulf between self and not-self.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 96 pages
Publication date: 15 September 2023
Publisher: Salt Publishing

Martyn Crucefix's latest collection of poems explores the forensic unfolding of two landscapes: contemporary Britain post-2016 and the picturesque countryside of the Marche in central-eastern Italy. Both places are vividly brought to life, with the coffee shops, traffic jams, shopping malls, and tourist-dotted hillsides of modern Britain standing in stark contrast to the hilltop villages, church spires, deep gorges, natural history, and Classical ruins of Italy. These landscapes serve as metaphors for psychic journeys, reflecting the divisions and conflicts present closer to home. However, as we move closer to the Mediterranean, these divisions offer potential for transcendence.

The poems in the longer sequence, 'Works and Days,' exhibit a remarkable freedom of form and allusion. Crucefix skillfully weaves together source materials and inspiration from Hesiod's original and the 10/12th-century Indian vacana poems, all bound together by the repeated refrain of bridges breaking down. The Italian poems, presented as a crown of sonnets, maintain a more formal control, but the repetition of the first and last lines of each poem also suggests the presence of an overarching unity.

In the end, both sequences converge towards a contemplation of death. While acknowledging the reality of human mortality and the passage of time, Crucefix aims to challenge the powerful dividing walls between Thee and Me, fostering the liberation of empathetic feeling and even the Daoist erasure of the assumed gulf between self and not-self. The poet aspires to achieve the condition of ubiquitous dust on the fiery water, symbolizing a state of interconnectedness and unity.

Through his poetic exploration of these two landscapes, Martyn Crucefix invites us to reflect on the complexities of contemporary life and the potential for transcendence amidst division and conflict. His words paint vivid pictures, evoking a sense of place and emotion, and leaving a lasting impact on the reader.

Dimension: 198 x 129 x 7 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781784633059