Robin Robertson is from the northeast coast of Scotland. He has published five collections of poetry--most recently Hill of Doors--and has received numerous of accolades, including the Petrarca Prize, the E. M. Forster Award from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and all three Forward Prizes. In 2006 he published The Deleted World, a selection of English versions of poems by Tomas Transtromer, and has since translated two plays of Euripides', Medea and The Bacchae.
"Trysts abound in Sailing the Forest, the first career-spanning
gathering of poems from one of the most intriguing literary voices
in Scotland . . . Robertson hasn't yet crossed over into the realm
of mainstream adoration that Ireland's Seamus Heaney enjoyed among
American readers, but that's probably only a matter of time . . .
To put it bluntly, he writes lines that you want to read again and
again." --Jeff Gordinier, The New York Times Book Review"During the
first dark days of the year, and even now as the blue predawn light
slinks in a little earlier each morning, I've been savoring Robin
Robertson's haunting collection. These poems are sonically rich,
studded with wordplay and flickering light. Because Robertson's
Scottish, he's got materials we newfangled Americans only envy. He
writes about selkies, who are Celtic shape-changers; dwayberries, a
kind of deadly nightshade. And like Proteus himself, he can
casually remake Ovid's stories in Scottish villages that already
seem older than Rome." --Tess Taylor, NPR"Robin Robertson's Sailing
the Forest is richly coloured and dense with archetypes. At nearly
200 pages, this generous selection of poems is a great introduction
for anyone who believes contemporary poetry has lost its archaic
power. Here are ballads, elegies, and legends that read like rites.
Even if you've already discovered Robertson's dark music, this is a
handsome edition to own." --Fiona Sampson, The Independent Books of
the Year"It was something of a relied to turn at times to Robin
Robertson's Sailing the Forest masses of emotional intelligence
here, and grace abundant." --Richard Holloway, The Scotsman Books
of the Year"[Robertson is] prodigiously talented" --Candia
McWilliam, The Scotsman Books of the Year"The poetry event of 2014
was Sailing the Forest: Selected Poems, by Robin Robertson, which
affords a longer view of this supremely gifted artist. Here is
passion, savagery and tenderness, all combined and all controlled
within a faultless technique." --John Banville, Irish Times Books
of the Year"Sailing the Forest by Robin Robertson is a wonderfully
generous selected poems. Great precision of language, limpid
observation and a rare ability to make the narrative of the poems
resonate evocatively. A ripple-effect that is remarkably profound."
--William Boyd, The Observer (UK)"Sailing The Forest: Selected
Poems by Robin Robertson - the only words more welcome as subtitle
might be All the Poems. Read it, give it, read it aloud, give it to
poetry agnostics and watch them shiver, touched by the poet's
tinsel, his understanding of this light and that darkness."
--Candia McWilliam, The Herald (UK) Books of the Year"Robin
Robertson's bracing book offers a host of pleasures: rich and briny
atmospheres, the burr and bristle of a fine ear, an eye restless
for exact and searing detail. But the greatest of these is watching
a writer come into his own, in poems increasingly compelling and
large in their embrace, their dark and lustrous landscapes fully
inhabited, fully haunted." --Mark Doty, National Book Award-winning
author of Fire to Fire"Robin Robertson is one of the finest
contemporary poets, as this collection amply shows. His is a
wonderful hard clear music, and the muscularity and toughness of
his verse is everywhere counterpointed by a deep-lying tenderness.
Sailing the Forest is a marvellously buoyant vessel." --John
Banville, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea"Each poem comes to
us so cleansed of excess, so concentrated and perfectly pared down
to its essence we can only wonder at the adamantine sharpness of
its edges." --Billy Collins"Robertson is a superstar of Scottish
poetry." --Adam Newey, The Guardian"There's an oneiric charge and
intensity to many of these poems that builds to a fabular clarity
of thought, which is at once precise in its particularity and
placeless. Whether in his extraordinarily fresh renderings of Ovid
or his own imaginings, Robertson's lines have the luminosity of
myth. The Wrecking Light is a work of extraordinary visionary
power, its music bleak and beautiful, spare and unsparing. If there
were justice in the world, it would win every prize going." --Adam
Newey, The Guardian
Trysts abound in "Sailing the Forest," the first career-spanning
gathering of poems from one of the most intriguing literary voices
in Scotland . . . Robertson hasn't yet crossed over into the realm
of mainstream adoration that Ireland's Seamus Heaney enjoyed among
American readers, but that's probably only a matter of time . . .
To put it bluntly, he writes lines that you want to read again and
again. "Jeff Gordinier, The New York Times Book Review" During the
first dark days of the year, and even now as the blue predawn light
slinks in a little earlier each morning, I've been savoring Robin
Robertson's haunting collection. These poems are sonically rich,
studded with wordplay and flickering light. Because Robertson's
Scottish, he's got materials we newfangled Americans only envy. He
writes about selkies, who are Celtic shape-changers; dwayberries, a
kind of deadly nightshade. And like Proteus himself, he can
casually remake Ovid's stories in Scottish villages that already
seem older than Rome. Tess Taylor, "NPR" Robin Robertson's "Sailing
the Forest" is richly coloured and dense with archetypes. At nearly
200 pages, this generous selection of poems is a great introduction
for anyone who believes contemporary poetry has lost its archaic
power. Here are ballads, elegies, and legends that read like rites.
Even if you've already discovered Robertson's dark music, this is a
handsome edition to own. "Fiona Sampson, The Independent Books of
the Year" It was something of a relied to turn at times to Robin
Robertson's "Sailing the Forest" masses of emotional intelligence
here, and grace abundant. "Richard Holloway, The Scotsman Books of
the Year" [Robertson is] prodigiously talented "Candia McWilliam,
The Scotsman Books of the Year" The poetry event of 2014 was
"Sailing the Forest: Selected Poems," by Robin Robertson, which
affords a longer view of this supremely gifted artist. Here is
passion, savagery and tenderness, all combined and all controlled
within a faultless technique. "John Banville, Irish Times Books of
the Year" "Sailing the Forest "by Robin Robertson is a wonderfully
generous selected poems. Great precision of language, limpid
observation and a rare ability to make the narrative of the poems
resonate evocatively. A ripple-effect that is remarkably profound.
"William Boyd, The Observer (UK)" "Sailing The Forest: Selected
Poems "by Robin Robertson the only words more welcome as subtitle
might be All the Poems. Read it, give it, read it aloud, give it to
poetry agnostics and watch them shiver, touched by the poet's
tinsel, his understanding of this light and that darkness. "Candia
McWilliam, The Herald (UK) Books of the Year" Robin Robertson's
bracing book offers a host of pleasures: rich and briny
atmospheres, the burr and bristle of a fine ear, an eye restless
for exact and searing detail. But the greatest of these is watching
a writer come into his own, in poems increasingly compelling and
large in their embrace, their dark and lustrous landscapes fully
inhabited, fully haunted. "Mark Doty, National Book Award-winning
author of Fire to Fire" Robin Robertson is one of the finest
contemporary poets, as this collection amply shows. His is a
wonderful hard clear music, and the muscularity and toughness of
his verse is everywhere counterpointed by a deep-lying tenderness.
"Sailing the Forest" is a marvellously buoyant vessel. "John
Banville, Booker Prize-winning author of The Sea" Each poem comes
to us so cleansed of excess, so concentrated and perfectly pared
down to its essence we can only wonder at the adamantine sharpness
of its edges. "Billy Collins" Robertson is a superstar of Scottish
poetry. "Adam Newey, The Guardian" There's an oneiric charge and
intensity to many of these poems that builds to a fabular clarity
of thought, which is at once precise in its particularity and
placeless. Whether in his extraordinarily fresh renderings of Ovid
or his own imaginings, Robertson's lines have the luminosity of
myth. "The Wrecking Light" is a work of extraordinary visionary
power, its music bleak and beautiful, spare and unsparing. If there
were justice in the world, it would win every prize going. "Adam
Newey, The Guardian""
"Trysts abound in "Sailing the Forest," the first career-spanning
gathering of poems from one of the most intriguing literary voices
in Scotland . . .""Robertson hasn't yet crossed over into the realm
of mainstream adoration that Ireland's Seamus Heaney enjoyed among
American readers, but that's probably only a matter of time . . .
To put it bluntly, he writes lines that you want to read again and
again." --Jeff Gordinier, "The New York Times Book Review
""Robin Robertson's "Sailing the Forest" is richly coloured and
dense with archetypes. At nearly 200 pages, this generous selection
of poems is a great introduction for anyone who believes
contemporary poetry has lost its archaic power. Here are ballads,
elegies, and legends that read like rites. Even if you've already
discovered Robertson's dark music, this is a handsome edition to
own." --Fiona Sampson, "The Independent" Books of the Year
"It was something of a relied to turn at times to Robin Robertson's
"Sailing the Forest" masses of emotional intelligence here, and
grace abundant." --Richard Holloway, "The Scotsman" Books of the
Year
"[Robertson is] prodigiously talented" --Candia McWilliam,
"The""Scotsman" Books of the Year
"The poetry event of 2014 was "Sailing the Forest: Selected Poems,"
by Robin Robertson, which affords a longer view of this supremely
gifted artist. Here is passion, savagery and tenderness, all
combined and all controlled within a faultless technique." --John
Banville, "Irish Times" Books of the Year""Sailing the Forest "by
Robin Robertson is a wonderfully generous selected poems. Great
precision of language, limpid observation and a rare ability to
make the narrative of the poems resonate evocatively. A
ripple-effect that is remarkably profound." --William Boyd, "The
Observer" (UK)
""Sailing The Forest: Selected Poems "by Robin Robertson - the only
words more welcome as subtitle might be All the Poems. Read it,
give it, read it aloud, give it to poetry agnostics and watch them
shiver, touched by the poet's tinsel, his understanding of this
light and that darkness." --Candia McWilliam, "The Herald "(UK)
Books of the Year
"Robin Robertson's bracing book offers a host of pleasures: rich
and briny atmospheres, the burr and bristle of a fine ear, an eye
restless for exact and searing detail. But the greatest of these is
watching a writer come into his own, in poems increasingly
compelling and large in their embrace, their dark and lustrous
landscapes fully inhabited, fully haunted." --Mark Doty, National
Book Award-winning author of "Fire to Fire
""Robin Robertson is one of the finest contemporary poets, as this
collection amply shows. His is a wonderful hard clear music, and
the muscularity and toughness of his verse is everywhere
counterpointed by a deep-lying tenderness. "Sailing the Forest" is
a marvellously buoyant vessel." --John Banville, Booker
Prize-winning author of "The Sea"
"Each poem comes to us so cleansed of excess, so concentrated and
perfectly pared down to its essence we can only wonder at the
adamantine sharpness of its edges." --Billy Collins
"Robertson is a superstar of Scottish poetry." --Adam Newey, "The
Guardian
""There's an oneiric charge and intensity to many of these poems
that builds to a fabular clarity of thought, which is at once
precise in its particularity and placeless. Whether in his
extraordinarily fresh renderings of Ovid or his own imaginings,
Robertson's lines have the luminosity of myth. "The Wrecking Light"
is a work of extraordinary visionary power, its music bleak and
beautiful, spare and unsparing. If there were justice in the world,
it would win every prize going." --Adam Newey, "The Guardian
"
"Robin Robertson's "Sailing the Forest" is richly coloured and
dense with archetypes. At nearly 200 pages, this generous selection
of poems is a great introduction for anyone who believes
contemporary poetry has lost its archaic power. Here are ballads,
elegies, and legends that read like rites. Even if you've already
discovered Robertson's dark music, this is a handsome edition to
own." --Fiona Sampson, "The Independent" Books of the Year
"It was something of a relied to turn at times to Robin Robertson's
"Sailing the Forest" masses of emotional intelligence here, and
grace abundant." --Richard Holloway, "The Scotsman" Books of the
Year
"[Robertson is] prodigiously talented" --Candia McWilliam,
"The""Scotsman" Books of the Year
"The poetry event of 2014 was "Sailing the Forest: Selected Poems,"
by Robin Robertson, which affords a longer view of this supremely
gifted artist. Here is passion, savagery and tenderness, all
combined and all controlled within a faultless technique." --John
Banville, "Irish Times" Books of the Year""Sailing the Forest "by
Robin Robertson is a wonderfully generous selected poems. Great
precision of language, limpid observation and a rare ability to
make the narrative of the poems resonate evocatively. A
ripple-effect that is remarkably profound." --William Boyd, "The
Observer" (UK)
""Sailing The Forest: Selected Poems "by Robin Robertson - the only
words more welcome as subtitle might be All the Poems. Read it,
give it, read it aloud, give it to poetry agnostics and watch them
shiver, touched by the poet's tinsel, his understanding of this
light and that darkness." --Candia McWilliam, "The Herald "(UK)
Books of the Year
"Robin Robertson's bracing book offers a host of pleasures: rich
and briny atmospheres, the burr and bristle of a fine ear, an eye
restless for exact and searing detail. But the greatest of these is
watching a writer come into his own, in poems increasingly
compelling and large in their embrace, their dark and lustrous
landscapes fully inhabited, fully haunted." --Mark Doty, National
Book Award-winning author of "Fire to Fire
""Robin Robertson is one of the finest contemporary poets, as this
collection amply shows. His is a wonderful hard clear music, and
the muscularity and toughness of his verse is everywhere
counterpointed by a deep-lying tenderness. "Sailing the Forest" is
a marvellously buoyant vessel." --John Banville, Booker
Prize-winning author of "The Sea"
"Each poem comes to us so cleansed of excess, so concentrated and
perfectly pared down to its essence we can only wonder at the
adamantine sharpness of its edges." --Billy Collins
"Robertson is a superstar of Scottish poetry." --Adam Newey, "The
Guardian
""There's an oneiric charge and intensity to many of these poems
that builds to a fabular clarity of thought, which is at once
precise in its particularity and placeless. Whether in his
extraordinarily fresh renderings of Ovid or his own imaginings,
Robertson's lines have the luminosity of myth. "The Wrecking Light"
is a work of extraordinary visionary power, its music bleak and
beautiful, spare and unsparing. If there were justice in the world,
it would win every prize going." --Adam Newey, "The Guardian
"
Praise for Robin Robertson
"Robin Robertson's bracing book offers a host of pleasures: rich
and briny atmospheres, the burr and bristle of a fine ear, an eye
restless for exact and searing detail. But the greatest of these is
watching a writer come into his own, in poems increasingly
compelling and large in their embrace, their dark and lustrous
landscapes fully inhabited, fully haunted." --Mark Doty, National
Book Award-winning author of "Fire to Fire
""Robin Robertson is one of the finest contemporary poets, as this
collection amply shows. His is a wonderful hard clear music, and
the muscularity and toughness of his verse is everywhere
counterpointed by a deep-lying tenderness. "Sailing the Forest" is
a marvellously buoyant vessel." --John Banville, Booker
Prize-winning author of "The Sea"
"Each poem comes to us so cleansed of excess, so concentrated and
perfectly pared down to its essence we can only wonder at the
adamantine sharpness of its edges." --Billy Collins
"Robertson is a superstar of Scottish poetry." --Adam Newey, "The
Guardian
""There's an oneiric charge and intensity to many of these poems
that builds to a fabular clarity of thought, which is at once
precise in its particularity and placeless. Whether in his
extraordinarily fresh renderings of Ovid or his own imaginings,
Robertson's lines have the luminosity of myth. "The Wrecking Light"
is a work of extraordinary visionary power, its music bleak and
beautiful, spare and unsparing. If there were justice in the world,
it would win every prize going." --Adam Newey, "The Guardian
"
Praise for Robin Robertson
"Robin Robertson's bracing book offers a host of pleasures: rich
and briny atmospheres, the burr and bristle of a fine ear, an eye
restless for exact and searing detail. But the greatest of these is
watching a writer come into his own, in poems increasingly
compelling and large in their embrace, their dark and lustrous
landscapes fully inhabited, fully haunted." --Mark Doty, National
Book Award-winning author of "Fire to Fire
""Robin Robertson is one of the finest contemporary poets, as this
collection amply shows. His is a wonderful hard clear music, and
the muscularity and toughness of his verse is everywhere
counterpointed by a deep-lying tenderness. "Sailing the Forest" is
a marvellously buoyant vessel." --John Banville, Booker
Prize-winning author of "The Sea"
"Each poem comes to us so cleansed of excess, so concentrated and
perfectly pared down to its essence we can only wonder at the
adamantine sharpness of its edges." --Billy Collins
"Robertson is a superstar of Scottish poetry." --Adam Newey, "The
Guardian
""There's an oneiric charge and intensity to many of these poems
that builds to a fabular clarity of thought, which is at once
precise in its particularity and placeless. Whether in his
extraordinarily fresh renderings of Ovid or his own imaginings,
Robertson's lines have the luminosity of myth. "The Wrecking Light"
is a work of extraordinary visionary power, its music bleak and
beautiful, spare and unsparing. If there were justice in the world,
it would win every prize going." --Adam Newey, "The Guardian
"
Praise for Robin Robertson
"Each poem comes to us so cleansed of excess, so concentrated and
perfectly pared down to its essence we can only wonder at the
adamantine sharpness of its edges." --Billy Collins
"Robertson is a superstar of Scottish poetry." --Adam Newey, "The
Guardian"
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