Talking Dead

by Neil Rollinson

Like Neil Rollinson's earlier books, Talking Dead is a refreshment of the senses: lifting the lid on the human condition in a heartfelt celebration of the act of being, whether in moments of love or mortality, sex or feasting.
     In the central sequence of the book -- a meditation on the space between life and death -- the dead speak of their final earthly moments with a liberating sense of fascination, and a luminous awe. Elsewhere we enjoy al fresco sex, astronomy via many pints in the Cat and Fiddle, and the deliverance of an Indian monsoon after weeks of thirst and drought. In 'Christmas in Andalucia' two lovers Skype each other achingly across hundreds of miles -- 'I am full of loss and longing,' the poet says, 'the heart is hewn from elm and oak and mistletoe.'
     As provocative, sensual and subversive as ever, these poems seek and find the numinous in the everyday: some element of ritual or wonder that transforms experience. Although the spectre of darkness is never far away, it is the spirit of pleasure that endures, and we discover to our delight, as D.H. Lawrence did, that the Dionysian finally prevails over the Apollonian.

Genres: Poetry

64 pages, Paperback

First published July 2, 2015

Reviews

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

You have to love the in-your-face cover featuring a Phallus impudicus mushroom. The occasional monologues from the dead are not as interesting as they should be, though; a final poem from the perspective of a guillotine victim (“The National Razor”), though not part of the title sequence that appeared as its own pamphlet, is the best. The first six or so poems are very strong, but the quality tails off a bit as the book goes on. I enjoyed “The Coffee Variations” (it opens with “Ristretto, / black as a starless night, / demitasse / of dark matter”) but my favorite lines of all were from “The Storm”: “Sparrows squabbled / in the greengage, a collared dove / cooed in the ash, and the radio / resumed its calming commentary / on the cricket.” All that alliteration is calming indeed, especially the repeated syllable in “calming” and “commentary.”

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a good collection. It felt like it lost a bit of the magic towards the end (but that could just be because I read it to avoid uni work so) still worth a read, great example of contemporary poetry.

[DwijoG · Rating 3 out of 5]

Starts nice strong. Very direct, clear and sharp poetry - and then sort of tapers off near the end, almost as though it was written in a linear order (probably wasn’t) and the poet ran out of inspiration.

That said, enjoyable collection at its best. I bought this randomly years ago, and it got buried somewhere among my books. Glad I picked it up again.

Particularly enjoyed picnic and most of the talking dead series.

[Anne Brooke · Rating 4 out of 5]

These poems are gripping, punchy and very thought-provoking, as I've come to expect from this excellent poet. That said, I don't think the collection fits together as much as it should, but Rollinson is as always well worth a read.

[Cooch · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Varied Selection

There is not a poor poem here. There are some very good and some excellent poems. The erotic poems sometimes walk a fine line, but always succeed in the end.

[Leigh Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Streetwise, yet lyrical, pieces on nature, sex, and death.

The phallic mushroom on the cover says it all...almost. Rollinson's volume explores the connection between the mysteries of life and death, primarily through luscious poems about fucking ("Picnic"), bodily functions ("Ode to a Piss"), and a number of poems that share their name with the book's title. These last, interspersed throughout the collection at intervals, are paradoxes: gorgeous depictions of really ugly things. Like drowning at sea. Getting hit by a car. Having your head chopped off during the French Revolution. All of these are executed in first-person, so that you get the speaker's perspective on having died, and how it happened; occasionally, their perceptions will surprise you (my favorites of these are "Talking Dead -- The Wall" and "Talking Dead -- The Oak").

There are also a handful of poems in which Rollinson-as-speaker reminisces about his childhood, usually with a friend, usually out in nature: the innocence to experience journey. Then there are the poems about adulting (I'm partial to "Christmas in Andalucia") and scenes from ordinary life ("The Coffee Variations" is my favorite because somebody has FINALLY written a poem that does justice to the wonder of caffeine). These poems will make you want to do something bodily and sensual, and whatever you choose, you pretty much can't make a mistake, as Rollinson's words will back up your desires. Recommended for folks who like poems with clear, concrete images and forthright language. Would also make a great gift for anybody you're trying to seduce (it will tip the scales in your favor) or with whom you are currently having excellent sexytimes. We're all going to die, so grab some Rollinson, get out there, and live.

[Jim Puskas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sensuous, earthy, exilherating in the evocation of lovemaking and in experiencing everyday events; at other times disturbing, particularly his evocation of the experience of dying by a variety of different means. One of the best aspects of Rollinson's work is his insistence upon inteligible phrasing (as opposed to the all-too-common trend of today's poets to be deliberately obscure, disjointed and opaque in an attempt to sound clever). He's lyrical when the topic supports lyricism and gritty where that's the obvious way to go. I get the sense that Rollinson respects his reader; for that, I will forgive him any number of sins.

[Katrina · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sexy, dark and often funny.