Eric Greinke | The Art of Natural Fishing | Gazelle Books

In this insightful, humorous and inspiring book Master Angler Eric Greinke examines the moral, ethical and social values of fishing. He criticises our dependency on technology and advocates practising a more natural and artistic approach to both angling and living. The story of his relationship with an old fisherman runs through the narrative, providing many poignant and funny moments. “The Art of Natural Fishing” is an instant classic that connects how we fish to how we live, a good read for fishermen and non-fishermen alike. Continue reading

Stanley Nelson | Limbos for Amplified Harpsichord | Gazelle Books

Limbos for Amplified Harpsichord by Stanley Nelson is a musical and metaphorical tour de force, unique in both style and theme. Nelson writes a rarefied kind of projective verse. Words explode on the page, often utilised more for their musical value than for their literal meaning. At the age of 74, Nelson has declared this collection to be his greatest poetic achievement. He has been called the greatest avant-garde poet of his generation. The author of 16 published poetry collections, Nelson continues to push the boundaries of poetic form. Continue reading

Ruth Dallas | The Joy of a Ming Vase | Gazelle Books

As American critic Tom Disch quipped of many vintage poets: ‘friends and pets die, the garden takes on a new significance.’ There are poems in this collection about Dutch Masters, the remembered voice of a deceased soprano, a waterfall, ancient Chinese artefacts, victims of the World Wars, kites and flowers; but each piece is sensitively imbued not only with the poet’s awareness of impending death but also with the incorrigible fragility of life. While Dallas is at home in a number of different modes, her high regard for literary tradition as a form of spiritual realism makes her eminently readable as a disciplined watcher of the seasons. Continue reading

Martin Golan | Where Things Are When You Lose Them | Gazelle Books

This tightly written collection of twelve short stories by a veteran journalist confronts contemporary issues in relationships, and the nature of loss, with the keen eye of a reporter, a poet’s ear for language, and the insights of one who has “been there.” As Golan leads us through a landscape of loss, he doesn’t merely illuminate these moments but seems to celebrate them: “Loss,” he says, “comes with being human, with any life lived fully and well.” “Golan writes of contemporary marriage with humor and reckless candor. He voices our marital anxieties, its frustrations, losses and joys. Somewhere between the lies we tell each other and those we tell ourselves, Golan finds a vast human neediness for romantic love.” — Ken Kalfus Continue reading

Ralph Gustafson | Visions Fugitive | Gazelle Books

Visions Fugitive is Ralph Gustafson’s last book of poetry completed not long before his death in North Hatley, Quebec, in May 1995. In a writing career that spanned sixty years he published many volumes of poetry and edited the influential Penguin Book of Canadian Verse. Fire on Stone, published in 1974, won the Governor General’s Award for Poetry and Configurations at Midnight received the 1993 QSPELL A.M. Klein Poetry Prize. Continue reading