Alternative Values: Poems & Paintings by Frieda Hughes

by Frieda Hughes

Frieda Hughes’s poems and paintings reflect her early years in Devon and Yorkshire, and her later experiences when living in London, Australia, and most recently, Wales. From childhood, writing and painting have been the two driving forces behind her commitment to life. They first came together in her illustration of two of her seven published children’s books, and through her cartoons - she was cartoonist for the West Australian Magazine when living in Western Australia in the early 90s. In 2002 Frieda Hughes received a NESTA Award to undertake her work on Forty-five, a summary of her life to that age in 45 poems and a 225 foot long, 4 foot high, 45 panel abstract depicting the emotional landscape of her life. This was the beginning of a growing collaboration between her poetry and her artwork, which is now further realised in Alternative Values, which includes 60 full-colour plates of both her abstract and figurative work. The paintings will be shown at the Belgravia Gallery, London, where the book is launched in October 2015.

Genres: Poetry, Art

Paperback

Published January 1, 1780

About the author

Frieda Hughes is an English poet and painter who has spent much of her life in Australia. She has published seven children's books and four poetry collections. She is the daughter of the poets Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes.

Reviews

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5, really. Mixed overall, but some poems are compelling.

[Rehan Qayoom]

Relatives know how to pull the root
That taps our most sensitive nerve.

('Relative Values').

[Karen Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another winner from Frieda Hughes. Positioning poems and paintings together is fantastic - and seeing the "Uncropped Paintings" at the back - all lined up - really adds to their impact.

Anyone familiar with the author's life story and other works will particularly find a lot of wonder here. "New Language" - about her brother - is so touching. I re-read the last poem, "For Shura," several times - what insights.