pandemonium

McMillan's third book, "Pandemonium," explores the fragility and depth of the human mind, mapping this turmoil onto the chaos and abundance of the garden. It addresses a period of acute depression and is less about physical union and completeness and more about fracture and distance. The poems are raw dispatches from a mind in freefall, staring unblinkingly into the sudden havoc and hurt of this world.

\n Format: Paperback / softback
\n Length: 96 pages
\n Publication date: 20 May 2021
\n Publisher: Vintage Publishing
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After two critically acclaimed collections that delved into the intricacies and vulnerabilities of the physical body, McMillan's third book heralds a significant shift: both inward, into the challenging realm of mental health, and outward, into the natural and political world. Maintaining his signature breath-space and lower-case lines, yet exhibiting a more formally experimental approach, incorporating sequences and sonnets, the poems in pandemonium delve into the fragility and depth of the human mind, exploring its moments of panic and its troubled retreats. These poems also map this turmoil onto the chaos and abundance of the garden, where depression is reflected in the invasive and seemingly untreatable knotweed that slowly suffocates the landscape. At the same time, the sky conspires in its sudden and terrifying clarity, as if the very root of the world were ripped clean off.

McMillan has garnered widespread acclaim for his unflinching and honest portrayals of the body and sexual love, but these new poems represent raw dispatches from a mind in freefall, a body in distress. Addressing a period of acute depression, they shift focus away from physical union and completeness and towards fracture and distance. The poems are tender, yet savagely moving, offering unflinching glimpses into the sudden havoc and hurt of the world. They relentlessly stare into the chaos, searching for, and ultimately finding, moments of redemption.

Through his poetic exploration of the human mind and its relationship with the natural world, McMillan offers a profound reflection on the complexities of human experience. pandemonium serves as a testament to his talent as a poet, showcasing his ability to capture the essence of the human condition with raw honesty and emotional depth. This book is a must-read for anyone seeking to understand the intricacies of the human mind and the world around us.

\n Weight: 116g\n
Dimension: 131 x 196 x 14 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9781787333192\n \n