'A matchless compound of hug, tonic and kiss' Stephen Fry on William Sieghart's bestselling Poetry Pharmacy
The Poetry Pharmacy is one of the bestselling (and most giftable) poetry anthologies of recent decades. Now, after huge demand for more prescriptions from readers and 'patients' alike, William Sieghart is back. This time, tried-and-true classics from his in-person pharmacies are joined by readers' favourite poems and the new conditions most requested by the public - all accompanied by his trademark meditations (warm, witty and understanding, with just a twist of the challenging) on the spiritual ailments he seeks to cure.
From ageing bodies and existential crises to long-distance relationships and embracing your slovenliness, The Poetry Pharmacy Returns caters to all-new conditions while drilling further down into the universals: this time, the challenges of family life, and of living as a person among others, receive a much closer look. Perfect for the treasured friends, barely tolerated siblings, beloved aunts and revered grandparents in your life.
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[It is madness says reason It is what it is says love / It is unhappiness / says calculation / It is nothing but pain says fear WHAT IT IS BY ERICH FRIED]***
(@ParticularBooks, 26 September 2019, e-book, 150 pages, copy from the publisher via # NetGalley and voluntarily reviewed, compiled by @emergencypoet, various authors)
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I enjoyed this as much as the first volume. This also reminds me of the Being Alive series from Bloodaxe Books on a much smaller scale. This is an interesting mix of more recent contemporary and older contemporary poets. Some of my favourites are among them including Fleur Adcock, Denise Levertov, Mary Oliver and Kate Tempest. I also found some new poetic voices including Mark Strand, John O'Donohue and Grace Nichols. Like the first volume, I would have preferred more than one poem for each theme.
