The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea

by Mark Haddon

That Mark Haddon's first book after The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time is a book of poetry will perhaps come as a surprise to his legions of fans; that it is also one of such virtuosity and range will simply astonish them. The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea reveals a poet of great versatility and formal all the gifts so admired in Haddon's prose are in strong evidence herethe humanity of his voices, the dark humour and the uncanny ventriloquismbut Haddon is also a writer of considerable seriousness, lyric power and surreal invention. Here are bittersweet love-lyrics, lucid and bold new versions of Horace, comic set-pieces, lullabies, wry postmodern shenanigans (including a note from the official board of censors on "18" certificate poetry), and an entire John Buchan novel condensed to five pages. The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea will consolidate his reputation as our most powerful myth-weavers and spell-makers, as well as one of the most outrageous and freewheeling imaginations at work in contemporary literature.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Audiobook, British Literature, Adult, 21st Century

60 pages, Hardcover

First published April 11, 2006

About the author

Mark Haddon is an English novelist, best known for The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time (2003). He won the Whitbread Award, the Dolly Gray Children's Literature Award, the Guardian Prize, and a Commonwealth Writers Prize for his work.

Reviews

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

I sometimes wonder if my opinion of this book has devalued my integrity as a literary critic. I loved it, and so few other poetry lovers seem to. Perhaps in the same way some people are moved to tears by a Rothko painting while others see nothing but a big red blotch, readers of this book will find their hearts profoundly stirred only if they want them to be. Haddon's poetry captivated me because for the most part, I felt without thinking. It asks you to trust it. I found trusting it a very enjoyable, moving experience-- and I usually only see the blotch. In some verses, the sheer scope of Hadden's imagination (where is he GETTING all of this!?) is what makes these poems so epic. In others, a pervading, sometimes cosmic sense of intimacy made me hold my breath for simpler, more directly emotional reasons.

Beautiful imagery, evocative concepts, like the glassy surface of a mythical pool, beckoning you to dive head heart first and live in that world for a while.

[Patrick Sherriff · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some of these poems I really got and loved, some had literary allusions that I had no idea about, and went right over my head. But what I did get, I liked, particularly the satirical, self-aware ones like "This Poem is Certificate 18," "Poets" and "The Facts." Others did what only good poetry can do, which is implant an image in your mind so aptly and so suddenly that you can't help but forever see the world as the poet does. Consider, in "Trees" this description of the grandeur of a tree in the wind:

You wIll be fitting a heated towel rail one day
and see, through the Louvre window,
a shoal of olive green fish changing direction
in the air that swims above the little gardens.

Anyway, what's not to like in the poem "Great White" with an opening line like this: "Shark attacks were rare in Castle Brompton."

Download my starter library for free here - http://eepurl.com/bFkt0X - and receive my monthly newsletter with an original painting, and book recommendations galore for the Japanophile, crime-fiction-lover in all of us.

[Virginija · Rating 4 out of 5]

"This is how we leave the world,
with the heart weeping,
and the hope that distance
brings the solving wonder
of one last clear view
before that long sleep
above the weather's changes."

[Lelena · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non so l'inglese e probabilmente nemmeno il traduttore e probabilmente nemmeno Haddon.
Ad un certo punto ho pensato di avere a che fare col traduttore automatico di Google ma evidentemente no, è solo la follia di Haddon e del suo editore.
Per fare un esempio:
"Tre troll lottano con un brandello insanguinato
Che non morirà, le taverne ruggiscono e scintillano
sul molo sudicio e l'uomo-forbice
Caccia il drago attraverso quei piccoli sentieri
Che promettono l'alba al mare, torte
Al pistacchio e minareti ma che curvano, sempre,
Indietro a quella lunga notte nella stanza dei bambini.
(...)"

" Oggi un vecchio ha avuto un infarto
E ha distrutto la cabina di segnalazione.
Non puoi ignorare questo tipo di cosa.
Ma nell'insieme
Cerco di vedere i visitatori
Come nuvole o colline
(...)"

Ma cosa ho letto?

[LaCitty · Rating 1 out of 5]

Non saprei come definire questa raccolta di poesie se non,,, imbarazzante.
Avendo il testo a fronte ho letto sia la versione originale che la traduzione. Non si salvano che un paio di poesie. Il resto: un disastro, un accozzaglia di parole giustapposte, credo con l'intento di apparire profondo, ma a me sono sembrate solo vuote. Sarò io che non capisco, del resto la poesia non è il mio genere.
Però l'Haddon di Lo strano caso del cane ucciso a mezzanotte è un'altra cosa.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

Coolest cover ever with a moveable paper wheel...unfortunately, I only liked a couple of the poems contained within.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

From "Poets"
'No one understands them/ They are inordinately proud of this'

Ha!

[Steve · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don’t read much poetry, I feel like I get something out of it, but I think I miss most of what’s valuable. I liked this stuff but it didn’t bowl me over the way some of Haddon’s novels have. I requested this book from my library thinking it was recent, but actually it was published 16 years ago, shortly after his big “hit” (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time).

[Kendra]

"In truth, the dwarf worked in a betting shop / and wore an orthopaedic shoe. / The ugly sisters were neither sisters, nor, indeed, women, / nor were they remotely interested in the prince." –‘The Facts’

Haddon’s subject matter is wide-ranging and, characteristically, quirky. He deconstructs the everyday, thereby raising interesting questions for the reader. Such as in ‘The Penguin,’ which is about a trip to Cotswold Wildlife Park, where he muses, ‘A whole world and every part of it / a short walk from the tea-room.’ In ‘Nuns’ he speculates on the personal histories, and potential futures, of women who choose to live such a chaste, ascetic existence. ‘The Model Village’ is written from the point of view of an old man who has lived in the same village all his life.

These brief moments, which Haddon reveals, are both simple and profound, as well as being highly amusing at times. Take the poem, ‘Woof,’ for example, written from the point of view of a dog speaking to his human: ‘You bite me, everybody wants to know. / I bite you, no one gives a damn.’ Or in ‘Poets,’ where he writes, ‘There are whole streets / where their work is not known.’ My favourite poem in the collection is ‘This Poem is Certificate 18,’ which is a humorous assemblage of references to poets and poems both modern and traditional.

Although I’ve read (and enjoyed) The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, I was unaware that Haddon also published poetry. I came across this collection in my local library, while searching for another book. The title instantly attracted me and, seeing as it’s such a slim volume, there was no reason not to borrow it. And I’m glad I did. The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea is an enchanting assortment of poems, full of the same imaginative intellect which created The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time.

[Gabrielle Geddes · Rating 2 out of 5]

I have enjoyed Haddon's work in the past but this was beyond my comprehension. I don't mind poetry that is a bit nonsensical, however I feel like this whole collection was Haddon making a joke only he understood (or found funny). Far too convoluted and disjointed for my liking.

[Amanda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I couldn't follow the logic of the book's organization. And most of the poems fell flat for me. Haddon is definitely a better novelist!

[Juliet Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love this book! The poems are so vivid and imaginative and so varied - from the surreal to the quietly insightful, from the funny to the moving. I've read the book twice and may read it again.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read these out-loud while a guitarist and a drummer practiced beneath my feet.

[Maldischiena · Rating 5 out of 5]

《Vecchio, nuovo, preso in prestito, blu

Il giorno in cui ci siamo incontrati.
Questa busta inaspettata.
La mia maglietta del San Francisco mime Troupe che
   indossavi per gingillarti nell'appartamento, le cui
   maniche tagliate si abbinavano
Ai tuoi occhi.

Quella notte senza sonno.
Questa notte senza sonno.
La faccia che indosserò per stringerti la mano ed augurarti il
   meglio.
Il modo in cui mi sentirò quando lo faccio.

"Paper Moon". La nostra canzone.
"Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring".
Il mio Ella Live at Montreux che spero che lui metta su una
   notte per sbaglio e ti faccia piangere.
Questa squallida rassegna》

《LA CASA DEI QUATTRO VENTI
[...]
CAP. 11. Sangue
[...] Il selvaggio sollievo del sesso.

[...]
CAP. 13. Casa
La città che scintilla nella luce del sole
Mentew il cameriere portava il giornale del mattino.
Da quello fissava una faccia di... Oh,
Era ridicolo. I nervi di lei,
Il dottore diceva, erano fragili,
Lui era corretto, grazie a Dio,
Se odorava di whisky. Ma... quell'uomo
Era così familiare. Il suo nome era..
Cosa? Barba, vestito del mattino...
Lei esitò. Qualcosa si muoveva
All'orizzonte, rosso scarlatto, cieco,
Immenso. Una distante onda di fondo.
Una lunga fiamma di uomini e donne
Si baciavano ed estasiato, quel ruggito
Di migliaia nel cuore.
[...]》

[Emma Berger · Rating 2 out of 5]

What I understood, I liked about half of it. What I didn’t understand, I didn’t like (sometimes it’s beautiful anyways. This wasn’t the case).

I’m sure it’s brilliant and great but i don’t know Greek myths or anything so that was like half of the book I didn’t understood and the rest felt uninterpretable.

I am clearly not the audience for this and I clearly have a gap in knowledge. But the parts that I liked couldn’t make up for the fest unfortunately. Was so ready for this book to be over and it’s so short but it took so long to trudge through lol.

Poets is the best poem imo. Flip open the book to page 48 and read it and then leave it on the shelf.

It’s a no from me.

[Colleen Addario · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Be sensible and pour the wine. This life’s too short for longing and the clock spins as we speak. Days come and go. Hold on to this one.”

I love writing poetry and I started wondering why I stopped reading it as much, so I gave this collection a go… One of things I love about books like this is not every poem will hit you, they won’t all resonate, they won’t all make sense, but that’s the beauty of a collection of poems. There were a few in here that had me thinking, and for that, I find it to be quite all right.

3/5 stars :)

[Carly Krewitsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea is Mark Haddon's first collection of poems. This book was written after Haddon wrote his novel The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime. I thought most of the poems in this book were well written. Mark Haddon is a really good writer, and I loved The Curious Incident of The Dog in The Nighttime. The words "The Talking Horse and the Sad Girl and the Village Under the Sea" appears in the first poem.

[Dana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Endeavoring the read poetry this year. Since I enjoyed The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, I thought his collection would be a great collection to start with. I just don't think I am intelligent enough to "get" poetry but I did enjoy the audio version of this.

[Holly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a huge poetry fan, I listened to this audio to satisfy the read harder challenge 2015 #17.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm disappointed.

The language is beautiful, but what is clad inside it is cryptic or banal or inaccessible.

[Tandava Graham · Rating 3 out of 5]

My favorites here were “Trees” and “Great White.”

[Brenna · Rating 2 out of 5]

His fiction is better than his poetry.

[Tayla · Rating 1 out of 5]

This cover is so interesting to make up for the confusion that is the poems inside. I think I liked and understood maybe two...

[Catherine McLaughlin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely--gorgeous language, sound, and images.

[Natalie Millican · Rating 2 out of 5]

No part of this book was my style at all. I loved the last book I read by him, but this was significantly different. Too close to Greek mythology poetry/writing.

[Sara Hollingsworth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I can see why the rating for this is low. It's very surreal and odd, but I actually quite liked it.

[Kathryn O'Sullivan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Trees and Poets. I think a lot of the rest just went over my head, but some phrases and images struck a chord.

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this book, first time I'd read it, none of the poems immediately joined the list of my favourites, but a fun read.

[கவிதா பாரதிராஜா · Rating 4 out of 5]

poets
No one understands them.
They are inordinately proud of this

[Danielle Palmer · Rating 1 out of 5]

Whew, what a disappointment! I really enjoyed a novel of his that I read, but wow - these poems were inaccessible to me. The cover was the best part!