Not to speak of the dog: 101 short stories in verse by Christopher Reid (ed)

Not to speak of the dog: 101 short stories in verse

Christopher Reid (ed)

I'm starting to think that all the Faber '101 poems' anthologies are well worth reading and I'll doubtless be reading a few more in the series. This one is an eye opener when it comes to narrative verse, some poems being more easily identifiable as narratives than others. Both the range of authors and of subject matter is satisfyingly various. A rewarding read and a book worth dipping into again and again.

Extract

Dearest, the cockroaches are having babies.
One fell from the ceiling into my gin
with no ill effects. Mother has been
I showed her the bite marks on the cot
and she gave me the name of her rat-catcher.

from Love From a Foreign City by Lavinia Greenlaw

Parallels
  • Curtain Call: 101 Portraits in Verse by Hugo Williams (ed)