By turns moving, playful and wise, the poems gathered in Dearly are about absences and endings, ageing and retrospection, but also about gifts and renewals. They explore bodies and minds in transition, as well as the everyday objects and rituals that embed us in the present. Werewolves, sirens and dreams make their appearance, as do various forms of animal life and fragments of our damaged environment.
Before she became one of the world’s most important and loved novelists, Atwood was a poet. Dearly is her first collection in over a decade. It brings together many of her most recognisable and celebrated themes, but distilled – from minutely perfect descriptions of the natural world to startlingly witty encounters with aliens, from pressing political issues to myth and legend. It is a pure Atwood delight, and long-term readers and new fans alike will treasure its insight, empathy and humour.
My Review:
Rating: 4/5 stars
I really enjoyed this collection of Margaret Atwood's poetry. I have previously read her book The Handmaid's Tale but this was my first time reading her poetry and I really love her work and it really inspired me while I wrote my dissertation (a poetry collection). Each section had a different theme that Atwood focused on. Her feminist poems and environment poetry were my favourite pieces because they spoke to me the most and are so relevant.