The Slain Birds by Michael Longley Pere Gimferrer Sydney Morning Herald

Sydney Morning Herald

lost parents or our own youth

lyricism and the sort of eye for detail which leaves an impression on the heart

edited by James Booth

The typically laconic titles include The Fly

The Slain Birds by Michael Longley Pere Gimferrer Sydney Morning Herald'One of the most perfect poets alive. There is something in his work both ancient and modern. I read him as I might check the sky for stars.' Sebastian BarryMichael Longley's new collection takes its title from Dylan Thomas 'for the sake of the souls of the slain birds sailing'. The Slain Birds encompasses souls, slayings and many birds, both dead and alive. The first poem laments a tawny owl killed by a car. That owl reappears later in 'Totem', which