Andrew McMillan (2)Besprekingen

Barnsley is a town that was defined by its pit. Men are men and that's the way it has always been. For Alex it's been a repression of his feelings, for his son Simon it is a dead-end job and the escape of OnlyFriends and a drag persona and for his brother Brian it is the work with researchers about his town. Over time the pit has closed and the town has become less of itself, failing schools, lack of jobs but the people still have their pride.
Having worked in the Barnsley area many years ago I recognised so many of the characters in this book and the circumstances they find themselves in. I love the juxtaposition of the run-down shopping centre, the fact that McDonalds left the town (although there are a couple on the outskirts) and the boutique, Pollyanna. selling high-end designer clothes out of reach of the majority. The theme of the book is change but also about sexuality and it works well on all levels. It's a poetic little gem

gay poetry, evocative and nice.

***WHO SUCKED ME IN***
Simon of SavidgeReads on YouTube.

i really loved and enjoyed the first half! it was readable, almost drinkable in a way. super intimate (in ways both expected and unexpected). lots of memorable lines.

the second half i found it hard to follow the poems, though the lines were still sometimes beautiful. it was as though i found the poems hard to remember and i had to keep rereading to remember where i was, or if there was a narrative or ...

yah! wanted to like this a whole lot more. still beautiful, though. would read more of his work! super rural, queer and visceral.

I picked this up a few times in the bookshop before getting round to buying it, as the dips in didn't really grab me, but I'm really glad I eventually read it -- this really is a collection that hangs together as a whole, with repeating themes and style throughout, one to immerse yourself in.

The main theme is fresh boundless new ground -- the male body -- which has perhaps been awaiting a poet of this sensitivity to tackle it. The style is also fresh and unique, using spacing in place of punctuation. The effect of this is subtle but strong -- even when reading in your head you find yourself breathing to the pattern of the words, bringing you into the work physically -- how entirely appropriate to the subject matter!

In a year of strong poetry debuts in the UK, this stands out and well deserves the critic acclaim and prize nominations it has received.½

Things have changed for men this last decade or so.

I'm not just talking about the, "new man," that surfaced in the media pushing prams or staying at home while the wife went to work, either.

The stereotypical strong man caring for the weak woman is shuffling out the door, as the world wakes up to the truth that women aren't weak, and men can't stay strong twenty four, seven. We're all human beings, you know. According to Murderpedia (http://murderpedia.org/) they have 1 female serial/mass murder listed for every 6 men.

Men are re-evaluating themselves in our societies. Japanese men are shunning marriage because married men just don't look happy. In America there is MGTOW (Men Going Their Own Way) as the law and society is biased towards women; so they say, "Why play the game when the deck is stacked against us?"

Men can be tender. They can love, care, feel, empathise, etc.; the difference now is that more men are starting to stick the middle finger up to society and not hide the deeper emotions any more. Basically, what started happening for women a hundred years ago, is now starting to gather pace for men; a social redefinition.

And that's what attracted me to this book of poetry.

I was looking for an insight in to the emotions otherwise forbidden ... however, I couldn't find the key. I couldn't connect with the words.

I got a glimpse here and there, like looking in to a thick fog and catching a glance at the odd bright flash of light; but just as suddenly as it appeared to me, it was gone again and I lost my way once more.

Not a fulfilling read. Maybe it never really offered what I was hoping to find. I don't know, and I likely never will.