Overview

In his sophomore collection, Roberto Pastore hones in on an era of constant flux, violence and grief, offering a kind of bewildered solace with a misfit voice that feels truly renewed. 'I attend the reunion/of myself. Swapping out lime water for chamomile tea./ Comb-over days in which we refuse to accept what is lost.' In poems that are self-reflexive and elegiac, yet full of flashes of the unexpected, we are invited to look tenderly and unflinchingly at our own mysterious experience of living, our own 'sad heartsong'. Here are poems that feel both intimate and timely, yet somehow beamed in from another planet, far, far away.

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9781917140584

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Reviews

'Bert’s poems make the reader aware of other worlds, other planes of existence; how heavy night hangs, whispers overheard in dreams and waiting rooms, what is sheltered within our bodies. Profound, darkly funny, and deeply human.’ – Joshua Jones 'A restless demythologising of experience, a dream undreaming itself.' – Chrissy Williams This collection will appeal to readers with an interest in the New York School, Beat Generation or 1970s confessional style of poetry; fans of contemporary poets such as Greta Bellamacina and Ocean Vuong; as well as those with an affinity for the likes of Frank Stanford, Eileen Myles or John Ashbery. In his sophomore collection, Roberto Pastore hones in on an era of constant flux, violence and grief, offering a kind of bewildered solace with a misfit voice that feels truly renewed. ‘I attend the reunion/of myself. Swapping out lime water for chamomile tea./ Comb-over days in which we refuse to accept what is lost.’ In poems that are self-reflexive and elegiac, yet full of flashes of the unexpected, we are invited to look tenderly and unflinchingly at our own mysterious experience of living, our own ‘sad heartsong’. Here are poems that feel both intimate and timely, yet somehow beamed in from another planet, far, far away. -- Publisher: Parthian Books

'There is a sense of imminent doom and ferocious hope, resplendent even in despair. His use of language is beautiful, elegiac, yet never overwrought' – Jenny White, Western Mail 'Much of the collection dwells on the strange beauty of human vulnerability, as the poet imagines us in our most primal and unfiltered forms... This work invites the reader to bask in those moments where the ordinary world becomes dazzling, illuminated by the miracle of being alive together.' – CJ Wagstaff, Nation.Cymru 'Formally, the poems are fluid, moving between tight, fragmentary pieces and longer free verse poems that feel like transmissions sent across space. The tone of these may be cerebral, or tender; at times, the language gleams with lyric precision; elsewhere, it’s pared back, letting silence and space have their effect... haunting, human, and unusual.' – Mab Jones, Buzz Magazine 'Bert’s poems make the reader aware of other worlds, other planes of existence; how heavy night hangs, whispers overheard in dreams and waiting rooms, what is sheltered within our bodies. Profound, darkly funny, and deeply human.’ – Joshua Jones 'A restless demythologising of experience, a dream undreaming itself.' – Chrissy Williams This collection will appeal to readers with an interest in the New York School, Beat Generation or 1970s confessional style of poetry; fans of contemporary poets such as Greta Bellamacina and Ocean Vuong; as well as those with an affinity for the likes of Frank Stanford, Eileen Myles or John Ashbery. In his sophomore collection, Roberto Pastore hones in on an era of constant flux, violence and grief, offering a kind of bewildered solace with a misfit voice that feels truly renewed. ‘I attend the reunion/of myself. Swapping out lime water for chamomile tea./ Comb-over days in which we refuse to accept what is lost.’ In poems that are self-reflexive and elegiac, yet full of flashes of the unexpected, we are invited to look tenderly and unflinchingly at our own mysterious experience of living, our own 'sad heartsong'. Here are poems that feel both intimate and timely, yet somehow beamed in from another planet, far, far away. -- Publisher: Parthian Books

Author Information

Roberto Pastore is a poet based in Cardiff. He studied Art History & Creative Writing in Carlisle where he was part of the renowned Speakeasy spoken word scene. His first collection Hey Bert (Parthian, 2019) was highly commended by the Forward Poetry Prize and subsequently appeared in the Forward Book of Poetry 2021. In 2022 he released a poetry pamphlet entitled Absolute Joy which led to a collaboration with artist Rob Churm. Graveyards On Other Planets is his second full collection.

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