England's Green

Zaffar Kunial is a master of taking things apart and putting them back together in a new light, inviting us to look at the place and language we think we know and invoking absence through close attention to the parts. His poems share a center of gravity with migrations, memories, little transgressions, and disturbances, summoned and contained in small gestures.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 22 September 2022
Publisher: Faber & Faber

Zaffar Kunial is a true master of dissecting and reassembling elements, honing the scattered fragments of individual words, sounds, colors, flower names, and more, to reveal them in entirely new and captivating ways. In his collection of poems titled England's Green, he invites us to examine the familiar landscapes and languages we think we understand, challenging us to reevaluate our perceptions. With everything freshly established, we are on high alert, just as the poet is, to the mysterious gap in a stair, entering this new world with bated breath. By meticulously attending to the smallest details, Kunial's poems possess a remarkable ability to evoke absence, whether it be the absence of a father, the loss of a mother, or the untraveled path. Fully formed, these poems share a central focus on themes such as migration, memory, minor transgressions, and disturbances, all encapsulated within subtle gestures—a hand held, the scent of a newly bred rose, or the scratch a limpet leaves to mark its territory.

What truly sets Kunial's poetry apart is his ability to create a sense of cohesion and gravity within his work. Despite exploring diverse subjects, his poems share a common thread that binds them together. They revolve around the concept of small gestures, such as a hand held, a newly bred rose's scent, or the scratch a limpet makes, which hold immense significance and power. These seemingly insignificant moments become vehicles for conveying profound emotions and experiences, making Kunial's poetry both intimate and universal. His poetry is a testament to the transformative power of observation and the ability to find beauty and meaning in the most ordinary of things.

Zaffar Kunial's work is a joy to encounter, as it forces us to reexamine the foundations of our existence and perception. His poetry is a testament to the power of language and the endless possibilities it holds. I highly recommend his work to anyone seeking a fresh and invigorating perspective on the world of poetry.

Weight: 106g
Dimension: 130 x 198 x 8 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9780571376797
Edition number: Main