Beauties of the Octagonal Pool

Overview

Making unexpected connections, this book collects poems written from a variety of times, locations, and experiences—from the water frontage of Fiji, Fiordland, and the Mediterranean to the built history of Moscow and Berlin. Filled with a thoughtful musicality, a shambling romance, and a sense of humor, these witty and imaginative poems tell stories that range from a mechanical rat on Raoul Island to a black negligée and an ice-cream vendor in Moscow, and from a mayor and the Mistral in France to a new musical sound in New Zealand. Engaging and lively, this compilation highlights the persistent self-consciousness about the relationship between language and the world.

Reviews

“Once again, O'Brien has proved that he's a magician with words. If his earlier book on contemporary New Zealand art for young (and not so young), Welcome to the South Seas, was a hit, this sequel is sheer magic . . . . Many other art writers could learn much from O'Brien's approach. Readers, meanwhile, can revel in one of the year’s best art books.”  —Christopher Moor, Press, on  Back and Beyond

Author Biography

Gregory O'Brien is a writer, a poet, a painter, and a contributing editor to the literary annual, Fulcrum. He is the author of Back and Beyond, A Nest of Singing Birds, and Welcome to the South Seas. He is also the recipient of the New Zealand Post Book Award for Children and Young Adults and the Elsie Locke Award.