Edwin Morgan: Virtual and Other Realities

by Edwin Morgan

In `A Voyage', which opens Edwin Morgan's new book, he takes a cinematic risk, evoking the journey of the human sperm from ejaculation to fertilization. Broadcast on BBC Radio 4 in 1996, the poem opened new possibilities on the air as it does on the page. It belongs with Morgan's poems of space exploration, celebrating the chanciness and heroism of this most primal risk, and with his poetry of science. It also belongs with his love poems, performing a comprehensive synthesis of concerns.

Three sequences complete this ambitious book. `Beasts of Scotland' was commissioned by the Glasgow International Jazz Festival and set to music by the saxophonist Tommy Smith. Like `The Five-Pointed Star', written for the Burns Bicentenary of 1996, `Beasts' shows how commissioned, occasional poetry can at once honor and transcend its occasion. The title sequence of fifty triplet poems considers the consequences to reality of notions of `virtual reality'. Once again Morgan displays his versatility and his rooted passion for language, for place and for real people living in a modern world that can merit celebration, laughter and (however hard-won) joy. No wonder his work, with its Scottish and European perspectives, is at once sophisticated and popular.

Genres: Poetry

128 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

About the author

Edwin George Morgan OBE was a Scottish poet and translator who is associated with the Scottish literary renaissance. He is widely recognized as one of the foremost Scottish poets of the 20th century. In 1999, Morgan was made the first Glasgow Poet Laureate. In 2004, he was named as the first Scottish national poet: The Scots Makar.

Reviews

[Conor]

Good fun.

[Stephanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some total gems in here. Who would have thought a semi-epic poem about a sperm could have been so good? Also, his poem about the execution and philosophy of Giordano Bruno is absolutely magic.

[scarlettraces · Rating 4 out of 5]

(4.5)