TROEON : TURNINGS by Philip Gross
TROEON : TURNINGS is the fruit of a creative collaboration between English Language poet Philip Gross and Welsh language poet Cyril Jones. The work is further enlivened with cover and text designs by fine artist Valerie Coffin Price. The poems feature watery themes and are primarily inspired by a myriad of rivers ‘…on their separate ways to articulation: north south east/ west, toward opposite coasts…’. Cyril Jones also contributes some English translations of his own Welsh poems and Philip Gross writes directly in response to Cyril’s contributions. The creative conversation between the two has produced a wider range of poems than expected, with several themes begging to be pursued: the flowing of water, the different rivers central to each writer’s life, the life-stories associated with them, and the translation process itself. Both poets have been drawn into exploring the ‘space between’ the two languages, in which words and meanings can be ‘turned’ in several senses. The poets share both a love of precise and allusive description and a predilection for the ever-flowing wildness of the natural world: ‘The melody and counter-melody/a strange combination of Cerdd Dafod, Cerdd Dant/two halves awakening common memories.’ There is a gorgeous dialogue-like section of concise ‘englynion’ aside translated versions in a central section devoted to birds. An image of the waters ‘flowing backwards’ brings us the storied history of the regions along the riverbanks, from ‘neolithic bones’ through medieval monks and printer-priests, onwards to the Industrial revolution, and then touches on the contemporary where occasionally bitterness still arises, although now the (Severn) ‘Bridge is Free’ there is always the pressure of the past and the jousting play of two languages: ‘ambivalent flick of meanings,/ tilting like feelings – always forked’. Valerie Price is a known for her fine-art installations inspired by the nature. Her Letterpress designs take their themes and forms from the poetry text of Gross and Jones. She uses large lettering, overlapping outlines, text in columns, inventive formatting, shading and spacing. Printed in an accessible standard format for poetry collections, TROEON : TURNINGS is an artful play of variations using visuals and voices, both beautifully lyrical and profoundly thoughtful.
Philip Gross is a poet, librettist and writer for young people. A keen collaborator with other poets and across art forms, he has lived and worked in South Wales since 2004. Cyril Jones is a Welsh language poet who writes strict and free metre poems. Since moving to work in south Wales in 2001 he has collaborated with artists, an archaeologist, and other poets. Valerie Coffin Price is an artist-letterer, whose work responds creatively to poetry and place. Being a second language Welsh speaker equips her to explore the space between the poets and the languages.
| SKU | Unavailable |
| ISBN 13 | 9781781726068 |
| ISBN 10 | 178172606X |
| Title | TROEON : TURNINGS |
| Author | Philip Gross |
| Condition | Unavailable |
| Binding Type | Paperback |
| Publisher | Poetry Wales Press |
| Year published | 2021-03-18 |
| Number of pages | 96 |
| Cover note | Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary. |
| Note | Unavailable |