In Heart of Hearts Gerald Dawe explores what he calls ‘the maze’ of his Belfast upbringing. The second part enters an unpredictable world where the compelling surprise of everyday life plays in the shadow of personal loss, political violence, and fugitive mythologies.
‘Heart of Hearts is a terrific collection. There is the obvious balance between the richly inhabited, familial world of the first section and the chaste absences of the second. It’s a journey the poet has made before but not in as pure a fashion as here.’ — Thomas Kilroy
