Winner of the Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize
From the natural world to war and politics, from memories of childhood to bittersweet snapshots of everyday life, from wry asides to fantastical flights of narrative fantasy – Kona Macphee applies her versatile and polished technique to a characteristic diversity of themes in her second book of poems.
Her eclecticism is never more apparent than in the Book of Diseases sequence, which launches from its simple premise into a delirious medley of forms and subjects.
The meticulously crafted lyrical poems of Perfect Blue reflect the growing power of a distinctively original, musical and compassionate voice that laments the transience and fragility of life while celebrating the joy of truly living it.
'Her compassion, seriousness and technical accomplishment were all evident over a wide range of subjects and forms. She can also describe moments of vulnerability directly and with courage. It was a book that we found ourselves returning to. What impressed us most of all was the way that Macphee's work combined clarity and depth with a surprising and sometimes unsettling view of the world’ – Kate Kellaway, Bernard O'Donoghue & Stephen Romer, Geoffrey Faber Memorial Prize citation.
'Kona Macphee’s poetry has a genuine lyricism and mystery, together with a bold experimental diction’ – John Greening, Poetry Review.
'Kona Macphee’s finest work presents a perspective whose detachment is rooted in genuine care for what it sees, as though the refusal to centre the poems in personal subjectivity will provide the most intimate connection to the world. Add to this meticulous attention a lyricism based on compressed syntax and skilful consonance…an impressive range’ – Carrie Etter, Poetry Review.
'Poems of elegant gravitas, terse yet lyrical' – Independent on Sunday.
SPECIAL FEATURE:
Kona Macphee's website www.konamacphee.com has a microsite pb.konamacphee.com linked to it featuring her own commentaries on the poems in Perfect Blue as well as sample poems and audio recordings of her readings.
