Inspector Inspector

Jee Leong Koh's second Carcanet book, Inspector Inspector, explores political exile, spiritual homelessness, war, and peace, with thirteen palinodes in the voice of the speaker's dead father. His inclusive, generous, and forgiving imagination masterfully combines traditional and experimental forms.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 88 pages
Publication date: 25 August 2022
Publisher: Carcanet Press Ltd

Jee Leong Koh's writing emerges from the depths of a contemporary reality that most readers have either firsthand or secondhand knowledge of. He delves into the realms of political exile and spiritual homelessness, grasping the treacherous consequences of war and the complexities of certain forms of peace. Inspector, his second book published by Carcanet (Steep Tea, which received critical acclaim and was named a Best Book of the Year by the Financial Times, was released in 2015), further explores his earlier themes with remarkable authority, passion, and a sense of potential justice. Steep Tea engaged in a dialogue with women poets from diverse corners of the world, while Inspector Inspector grapples with the legacies of fathers—both personal, poetic, and political. Thirteen palinodes, woven throughout the erotic poems and those based on interviews with fellow Singaporeans residing in America, take the form of the speaker's deceased father, offering responses when the father's voice fades away. Jee Leong Koh's imagination is inclusive, generous, and forgiving, showcasing an enviable mastery of traditional and experimental forms.

Weight: 128g
Dimension: 135 x 215 x 10 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781800172227