Anyone worrying that Raymond Antrobus had mellowed after his debut book of poetry, “The Perseverance”, would do well to consider this extract from “Language Signs”, the third poem in his second collection “”All The Names Given”,
“All the men who raised me are dead, those bastards. I’m one self-pitying prick of a son.”
Yes, these are angry poems, but they are often tinged with tenderness and hope.
The book begins with poems exploring people through the ages who have shared the surname Antrobus, from slavers to painters, and their legacy, Achingly personal at all times, there are snapshots of Antrobus’ turbulent upbringing exploring themes of race, cultural identity and his own deafness, though the latter not to the same extent as in the previous book. It is always there in the subtext of his poems, though, as he relates awkward moments of miscommunication. The poems take us through Raymond’s life from difficult adolescence right up to his marriage. Many of the poems appear almost prose-like in structure, so much so that it has the feel of an autobiography at times and can be a tad overwhelming, but maybe that’s deliberate. The poetry of Raymond Antrobus is brutally direct and requires, even demands rereading.
Having been blown away by “The Perseverance”, this new work doesn’t disappoint but it impresses in a different way. Antrobus experiments with poetic forms in order to tell his stories, something which is never less than thrilling. While I feel that this collection is maybe not quite as immediate as “The Perseverance”, it is still a raging, beautiful volume from one of the most important poets of his generation. Reading the poetry of Raymond Antrobus is a visceral experience that will leave you shaken.
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