Swans We Cannot See, Andrew Jamison’s third collection, spans parenthood, masculinity, climate, food, teaching, art and literature. The seen, unseen and imagined intermingle throughout. In poetry that spreads its own wings the author glides between a range of subjects and forms displaying his craftsmanship, itself a theme explored in poems dedicated to artisans, blank verse and Parmesan cheese.
‘A Short History of the Potato’ and ‘J M Synge in Crossgar, 2022’, both playful and reverential, are sustained meditations on Ireland, past and present. ‘Death of an Artisan’, a new series of imaginary translations of Georges Bertrand, concludes the book. Transformational in many senses, Swans We Cannot See displays a poet and his poetry coming of age and taking flight.
‘Andrew Jamison has the ability to write poems of significant grace.’ — Seán Hewitt on Stay, Poetry Ireland Review
‘Thinking About the Point of Things’ is a tour de force of personal, public and political dimensions.’ — Ben Wilkinson on Happy Hour, TLS