Built Moment

Lavinia Greenlaw's latest collection, The Built Moment, explores the construction of beginnings, endings, arrivals, and departures, as well as the moments we fix as memories, capturing the joy and pain of these experiences. The first section, "The Sea is an Edge and an Ending," explores her father's dementia and disappearance into the present tense, while the second section, "The Bluebell Horizontal," looks towards possibility and offers new frameworks in the face of loss. The collection demonstrates how, as we age, what we build and break becomes increasingly significant.

Format: Hardback
Length: 64 pages
Publication date: 07 February 2019
Publisher: Faber & Faber

Lavinia Greenlaw's latest collection, The Casual Perfect (2011), delves into the pursuit of the provisional. The Built Moment explores the essence of what we construct from the provisional: beginnings, endings, arrivals, and departures, as well as the moments we capture as memories, imbuing them with both joy and pain.

The first section, titled "The Sea is an Edge and an Ending," consists of a series of poems that explore her father's dementia and his transition into the present tense. Rather than focusing on the narrative of illness, this section serves as a profound meditation on the metaphysics of memory and loss. It poses questions such as: What does it mean to exist solely in the present, where one's sense of self becomes loose, and the past floats freely?

The second section, titled "The Bluebell Horizontal," embraces possibility and offers fresh frameworks in the face of loss. It includes a prayer, a blessing, and a contemplation on why we persist in holding onto pain. Within this section, Greenlaw explores the structures that hinder both remembering and forgetting, as well as the fundamental challenge a poet faces when grappling with words.

The Built Moment showcases the remarkable way in which our constructions and breakdowns become increasingly significant as we age and death becomes an ever-present aspect of life. Greenlaw masterfully demonstrates how our choices and actions shape our existence, highlighting the importance of building and breaking in a world that is constantly evolving.

Through her poignant and thought-provoking poetry, Lavinia Greenlaw invites us to reflect on the transient nature of life and the profound impact we can have on the world around us. The Built Moment serves as a testament to the power of language, memory, and the human spirit, offering a profound exploration of the complexities of existence.

Weight: 206g
Dimension: 146 x 223 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780571347100
Edition number: Main