Time-Zones (Oxford Poets)

Well known as a poet in her own right, and as a translator, Fleur Adcock's new collection is both varied and lively. Her subjects ranges from domestic matters: recalling the birth of her son some years back; remembering her father, the news of whose death in New Zealand reaches her, the expatriate in England; working in her own London garden; to more trenchant matters of contemporary concern, such as the Romanian bid for freedom in 1989, and support for Green causes, including the anti-nuclear stand. Her mordant wit is mixed with great technical grace in this, her first collection since The Incident Book in 1986.