Solstice

Ranging widely in substance and style Solstice moves from lyrical invocations of Nature to reactions to ‘lockdown’; from a classical sonnet to the free-wheeling title poem. Across this short collection, the musicality of Arthur’s register is enlivened with wit, including a couple of outrageous puns. Often culminating in wonderful surprises, the poems include a deeply felt meditation on Edward Hopper’s art, and a powerful prophecy of ecological disaster. This is a collection to savour and revisit. Arthur’s work is moving and expertly written. His is a distinctive voice. — Claire Crowther