David Constantine élabore des récits qui explorent les complexités de l'expérience humaine, abordant des thèmes tels que la mémoire, la perte et la quête de sens dans le quotidien. Sa prose se caractérise par sa précision, sa profondeur atmosphérique et son observation aiguë des paysages émotionnels. Au-delà de sa propre fiction, le travail de Constantine en tant que traducteur et éditeur révèle un engagement profond envers diverses traditions littéraires, enrichissant sa voix unique. Ses histoires capturent souvent les drames silencieux et les courants sous-jacents profonds de la vie ordinaire.
Bilingual edition (English/German). The poems are marked by restraint, avoiding exhibitionism while drawing on profound influences like Edward Thomas, D.H. Lawrence, Keats, Hardy, Goethe, Hölderlin, Kleist, and French poets Michaux and Jacottet. David Constantine's writing subtly inspires readers towards a freer, fuller, and truer life.
David Constantine's 10th book of poetry, published on his 70th birthday, celebrates people and places in literature, life and mythology.
187 pages. Book appears to have hardly been read and is in As new condition throughout.
Driven to abscond from the pressures of everyday life, the characters in this collection turn to strange ideas, distant places, and private languages in search of escape. At times the characters appear absurd, like the vicar who strikes up a conversation with the devil, and at other times they seem unreachably lonely, like the man drowned in the black waters of the Irwell, but each is presented with such compassion that it is impossible not to completely enter these peculiar fates. Through the stunning use of imagery and landscape and the descent through the strata of different lives, readers are offered an arms-length view of the forces of hope and redemption at work amidst desolate survival tactics of ordinary life.
Entering Constantine’s stories is like stepping out into a gale of words, a swarm of language, his prose as fluid as the water that surges and swells through his landscapes. Yet his stories are able to stop time, to freeze-frame each protagonist’s life at the moment when the past breaks the surface.
David Constantine's poetry reflects a deeply humane perspective, drawing inspiration from European poets. The title poem serves as a central piece, exploring themes of love and resilience in the face of a curse brought on by a crime against Nature. Through the imagery of lovers responding to their circumstances, the work delves into the tension between utopian ideals and the harsh realities of the world.
Featuring a selection of compelling narratives, this collection showcases the author's mastery in storytelling, highlighted by the tale that inspired the acclaimed film "45 YEARS." Each story delves into complex themes of love, loss, and the passage of time, offering readers a profound exploration of human relationships. Celebrated by Kirkus Reviews as one of the best story collections of 2015, it invites reflection on the intricacies of life and the emotional landscapes we navigate.
A collection of poems by the author that is informed by a profoundly humane vision of the world. It features poems that hold a worried and restless balance between celebration and anxiety, restraint and longing.
Against the backdrop of war, a group of children barricade themselves in an abandoned townhouse, cherishing whats left of their innocence with the help of a dressing-up box. A deep sea diver takes to being suspended for hours at a time on the end of a line not long enough to reach the seabed... An aging widower moves into the shed at the end of his garden to plan out his endgame surrounded by a lifetimes worth of hoarded curiosities... The characters in David Constantines fifth collection are all in pursuit of sanctuary; the violence and mendacity of the outside world presses in from all sides be it the ritualised brutality suffered by children at a Catholic orphanage, or the harrowing videos shared among refugees of an atrocity back home. In each case, the characters withdraw into themselves, sometimes abandoning language altogether, until something breaks and they can retreat no further. In Constantines luminous prose, these stories capture such moments in all their clarity; moments when an entire life seems to hang in the balance, the pasts betrayals exposed, its ghosts dragged out into the daylight; moments in which the possibility of defiance and redemption is everything.--Provided by publisher.
This collection showcases the five short-listed stories for the BBC National Short Story Award, highlighting both emerging and established British authors. The narratives delve into the complexities of human relationships, focusing on themes such as splintered families, enduring love, the contrast between public and private lives, and the experiences of outsiders. Each story offers a unique perspective on the dysfunctionality and resilience inherent in human connections, making for a thought-provoking read.