Material Properties

Jacob Polley's fifth collection of poems, Material Properties, explores the non-human, elemental, and borders between existences, posing essential questions about our relationship with the living world and each other.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 80 pages
Publication date: 16 February 2023
Publisher: Pan Macmillan

Material Properties, Jacob Polley's fifth collection of poems with Picador, delves into the profound question of how to interpret and translate the essence of wildness into the language and understanding of humans. This captivating book offers a multi-layered and essential exploration of the non-human, the elemental, and the boundaries between different realms of existence. Through poignant poems about parenting in the face of an environmental emergency, as well as poetic reimaginings of Old English riddles that feature animals, objects, and natural phenomena taking center stage, Polley raises thought-provoking questions about our relationship with the living world and with one another.

Previous praise for Polley's work, Jackself, has been effusive. T.S. Eliot Prize judges described it as "a firework of a book, inventive, exciting, and outstanding in its imaginative range and depth of feeling."

Material Properties is a testament to Polley's talent as a poet and his ability to convey the complexities of the natural world and our place within it in a way that is both accessible and thought-provoking. It is a must-read for anyone who seeks to deepen their understanding of the world and their place in it.

Weight: 128g
Dimension: 196 x 153 x 24 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781035000081