An Arbitrary Light Bulb
14 November 2024Imprint: Picador
Synopsis
A Poetry Book Society Choice
An Arbitrary Light Bulb is Ian Duhig’s most personal collection of poems to date. It takes its title from the most common type of household bulb – yet one whose name is virtually unknown, like many people these poems celebrate.
Duhig finds in the arbitrary an image for the randomness of inspiration and of life, haunted here...
Details
14 November 202480 pages
9781035033201Imprint: Picador
Reviews
The most original poet of his generationCarol Ann Duffy, Guardian
Duhig telescopes topical allusions, scholarly references and coarse humour into tightly-shaped, surreal poems which burst open with explosive moral forceAlan Brownjohn, The Sunday Times
His poetry is learned, rude, elegant, sly and funny, mixing gilded images, belly-laughs and esoteric lore about language (including Irish), art, history, politics and children's word-gamesRuth Padel, The Independent on Sunday
. . .one of Duhig's charms is that, for all his learning, he retains humilityKathryn Gray, Magma Review
