Alcatraz - by Robert Minhinnick (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Radically lyrical, politically astute, this new collection features six writers whose every word is an act of affirmation. As it must be, for their art to flourish beside one of the world's great languages.

In Alcatraz: Poems from the Contemporary Welsh, we find youthful energies tackling climate change, global extinctions, even human life beyond our planet. Whether in Wales or Palestine, Manhattan or the island of Alcatraz itself, we learn that today's Welsh language poetry, with its unique perspective, is as valid as any verse in the world. And, possibly, more vital.

If these translations take liberties, none are unforgivable. The spirit of each poem remains unblemished. Here, veteran writers, such as Menna Elfyn, Karen Owen and Iwan Llwyd, mix with the next generation's Iestyn Tyne, Llyr Gwyn and Sian Northey. Alcatraz is an essential work for anyone interested in the good health of modern poetry in the UK.

About the Author

Robert Minhinnick was born in 1952 and lives in Porthcawl. He is a poet, novelist, essayist and critic. An established environmentalist, he is joint founder of Friends of the Earth Cymru, and the charity Sustainable Wales which was founded in 1997, for which he is a special advisor. His poems have twice won the Forward Prize for Best Individual Poem and his essays have twice won Wales Book of the Year. His previous Carcanet collection, Diary of the Last Man, was published in 2017 alongside a film of the same by Park6 Productions.