Night Photograph

by Lavinia Greenlaw

Galileo's wife, a woman dying of radium poisoning, the first dog in space, a strangely obsessed pianist, an early beneficiary of plastic surgery and a Russian boy whose adventures are limited by the immature powers of his inventor, are among the characters featured in this collection of poetry.

Genres: Poetry

Paperback

First published November 1, 1993

Reviews

[Helen McClory]

An excellent step into Greenlaw's works

[Bohemian Book Lover · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Not all of the poems
*In this 30 year-old debut collection by Lavinia
*Greenlaw felt accessible or even relatable on a first reading.
*However, with a
*Title such as "Night Photograph", their obscurity and vagueness was justified.

*Poems about the pioneering procedures of artificial insemination & plastic surgery, the imaginative circumnavigating exploit of Galileo's wife, a young woman dying of radium poisoning, the first dog in space, and
*How lost cities will be remembered in a post-apocalyptic future, are
*Only a few examples of
*The eclectic & erudite subject matter the poet
*Offers her reader.
*Greenlaw's sparse & elliptical style
*Reminds me of
*Another cryptic poet who blends scientific positivism with poetic sensitivity:
*Pauline Stainer.
*Having read & delighted in Greenlaw's succinctly stanzaed, rapturous retelling of Chaucer's Troilus & Criseyde in A DOUBLE SORROW, I was looking forward to another similar reading experience in NIGHT PHOTOGRAPH... Alas! Expectations were slightly disappointed. But at least I've been "exposed" to a different phase of Lavinia's lunar-surface-like lyricism, which I'm sure a re-read will shine new light on poems that at first glance were not fully grasped or appreciated.

[Juliano · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lavinia Greenlaw's 'Night Photograph', first published in 1993, is one of those collections that's difficult to describe - it's good, but it's hard to pin down exactly why. I think what I most like is the honest, unpretentious language that she lays down with the most dancing rhythms, while still perfectly capturing the sense of these larger moments (as opposed to the often microcosmic interiority of much contemporary poetry).

[anna · Rating 4 out of 5]

last third of the collection --- about physics, radium specifically, what a joy to read.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75

[Jasmin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Such mathematical beauty
filled me with the same
superstition and certainty
that sends a rocket
to meet the heavens
carrying the name of a Roman god.

(from Linear, Parallel, Constant)

[Matt Hunt · Rating 4 out of 5]

some really great thoughts and images. the radium pieces towards the end are brilliant.

[Nickey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked it. Her non-fiction isn't so much my cup of tea, but I really enjoyed Greenlaw's poetry. More please!