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Judging By Disappearances: Poems 1996-2006 (Bluechrome 2007) Alexis Lykiard's new and eagerly awaited collection is, as he notes, "properly political, and thus contentious. It's mostly concerned with unavoidable, wilful or involuntary absences and departures; with reappearances and reputations unresolved or often abidingly indefinite; with the improvising and/or performance arts of jazz and poetry as fleeting antidotes to despair." “I found it admirable &, more important, very enjoyable. When I began it, I made the occasional note of poems I’d especially liked but these soon became too many to be of significance. The entire collection is an effervescent treat. I’m truly delighted to see you writing in such good form”. [Vernon Scannell] “Alexis Lykiard’s latest substantial collection offers everything we have come to expect from him: range, humour, a talent for catching and holding the reader’s attention. He has a particular eye for anecdotes, and for quotes which will set him off on intriguing paths that are altogether his own, from sources as various as the Rev. Edward Young, James Joyce and Kate Millett. A continuously enjoyable volume”. [Alan Brownjohn] "His work is reviewed by highbrow critics. But much of it is so filthy you wouldn't want to wrap your chips in it. In fact he penned one pair of ditties we wouldn't publish in a family newspaper like ours."[the Sun (page 3] “A splendidly grumpy collection… At his best, Lykiard is unbeatable at writing this kind of witty, satirical, epigrammatic verse.” [Andy Croft, Morning Star] “His poems move from the personal to the political, and from memories of the past to commentary on the topical… A lively book and enjoyable to read.” [Jim Burns, Ambit]
“Varied, full of different moods and above all the work of a writer
whose style is quite unlike that of his contemporaries.” [Alan Dent,
Penniless Press]
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