A Raft from Flotsam by John Jordan. The author writes: ‘Who am I? Born in Dublin in 1930, I have been a Corporation clerk, an actor, a University lecturer, a theatre critic, a book-reviewer, a columnist, a broadcaster, a pain in the neck, especially to myself. I have published hundreds of thousands of words of ‘literary’ journalism and a handful of possible valuable essays on various topics, from John Donne to Patrick Kavanagh.
A little book of verse, Patrician Stations, came out in 1971 (New Writers’ Press). The present collection of verses is all I can find to mirror the journey of a somewhat tatty soul between the ages of 18 and 44. I would call them ‘Sunday’ verses, since I am not a full-time poet. I note, with mild interest, that from my thirteen years as a practising academic, the only pieces that have survived were written outside Ireland, where I hope to pass the remainder of my days in comparative torment.’
