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Kissing a Bone
Maura Dooley's poetry is remarkable for embracing both lyricism and political consciousness, for its fusion of head and heart. These qualities have won her wide acclaim.
In Kissing a Bone, her second book-length collection, Maura Dooley's focus has broadened. In a landscape stretching from Tranquillity Base to Crossmaglen, via the Northern Line and the Berlin Wall, memory and photography, love and death, are captured through the imperfect lens of history.
In Kissing a Bone, her second book-length collection, Maura Dooley's focus has broadened. In a landscape stretching from Tranquillity Base to Crossmaglen, via the Northern Line and the Berlin Wall, memory and photography, love and death, are captured through the imperfect lens of history.
- GenresPoetry
62 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1996
6 people want to read
About the author
Maura Dooley
23 books8 followersMaura Dooley was born in Truro, grew up in Bristol.
Educated at the University of York, she gained a postgraduate certificate of Education at Bristol. She is Lecturer in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
She edited Making for Planet Alice: New Women Poets (1997) and The Honey Gatherers: A Book of Love Poems (2002) for Bloodaxe, and How Novelists Work (2000) for Seren. Life Under Water (Bloodaxe Books, 2008) is her first new collection since Sound Barrier: Poems 1982-2002 (Bloodaxe Books, 2002), which drew on collections including Explaining Magnetism (1991) and Kissing a Bone (1996), both Poetry Book Society Recommendations. Kissing a Bone was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and Life Under Water was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2008.
She was a Centre Director at the Arvon Foundation and founded and directed the Literature programme at the South Bank Centre. She works in film and theatre and has recently helped develop educational films for Jim Henson Productions. Her work in the theatre includes running workshops for Performing Arts Labs, devising new plays for young people. In 2001 she was a judge for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the National Poetry Competition and the London Arts' New London Writers Awards. She has also chaired the Poetry Book Society.
Educated at the University of York, she gained a postgraduate certificate of Education at Bristol. She is Lecturer in Creative Writing at Goldsmiths College, University of London.
She edited Making for Planet Alice: New Women Poets (1997) and The Honey Gatherers: A Book of Love Poems (2002) for Bloodaxe, and How Novelists Work (2000) for Seren. Life Under Water (Bloodaxe Books, 2008) is her first new collection since Sound Barrier: Poems 1982-2002 (Bloodaxe Books, 2002), which drew on collections including Explaining Magnetism (1991) and Kissing a Bone (1996), both Poetry Book Society Recommendations. Kissing a Bone was shortlisted for the T.S. Eliot Prize and Life Under Water was shortlisted for the T. S. Eliot Prize 2008.
She was a Centre Director at the Arvon Foundation and founded and directed the Literature programme at the South Bank Centre. She works in film and theatre and has recently helped develop educational films for Jim Henson Productions. Her work in the theatre includes running workshops for Performing Arts Labs, devising new plays for young people. In 2001 she was a judge for the T. S. Eliot Prize, the National Poetry Competition and the London Arts' New London Writers Awards. She has also chaired the Poetry Book Society.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 29, 2013
Sometimes I'll go the library choose a book of poetry from someone I've never heard of, flick to one page and if I like what I read in that brief moment I'll take it home, see how it sticks. This is the most recent example. Fantastic set of poems here - from someone I'd not heard of before. Will have to try another volume from her.
August 1, 2009
Maura Dooley's "The Message" and "Transubstantiation" are definitely my faves from this collection. Her images are really quite lovely and surprising. I would be happy to buy or trade for this volume!
October 25, 2018
I'm really glad I discovered Maura's poetry. It feels universal and deeply touching - but sometimes, closed off. This is why it is not a full 5 stars. I believe Maura to be a world class poet but it is almost as if she is too private a person to open her true feelings up - the work is slightly cryptic.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews