Reality Check

by o-driscoll-dennis

“Dennis O’Driscoll . . . is one of the most interesting poets now writing in English.”—Adam Kirsch, Slate "Dennis O'Driscoll has produced an extraordinary body of work...Some of his poems have already achieved the status of classics."— Poetry Ireland Review"O'Driscoll's mind...ruminates on experience with alacrity, humility, and an unwillingness to pontificate. His talent -- which could equally grace a novel -- should stand the test of time."— Poetry Review "His terrain is, in effect, without mordant, open, sharp, generous, and sad."— The Guardian"[O'Driscoll's] poems dance deftly on the tongue.... The collection offers a cornucopia of visual and aural delights, a Whitmanic appreciation of both nature and human creation that nevertheless recognizes the global dangers posed by the latter.... O'Driscoll's U.S. debut is a bracing introduction to a poet whose work American readers have gone without for too long."— Library Journal Dennis O’Driscoll’s poetry is invigorating, grounded, and modern, with an ear attuned to the tragedies and comedies of contemporary life in a “globalized” Ireland. When Reality Check was published last year in the United Kingdom, it was named one of the top ten books of 2007 by The Independent of London. O’Driscoll, who tours regularly in the United States, excels at stripping away stereotypes. He incorporates the language of the business world into his poetry, often to comic effect. His job as a civil servant for nearly forty years, “a lifetime’s fug of arbitrations, ordinances, inter-agency liaisons,” has made him privy to the intricacies of bureaucracy, diplomacy, and commerce, and has given him a knack for transforming timeless themes through “workaday words” and present-day concerns. Lean on the green recycle binin the yard where roses run amok,scent intensified by last night’s rain . . .Rest on the laurels of your elbows.Consent to mind and body goingtheir ways amicably, a trial separation. Dennis O’Driscoll , author of ten books, is one of Ireland’s most popular poets and critics. According to Poetry Review , he is “one of the best-read men in the Western world.”

Genres: Poetry, Ireland

Paperback

First published January 1, 2007

Reviews

[Michael · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m very glad I read this book. What beautiful poems. What prodigious gifts of language and insight on the world. The only poem in Part II of the book is one called “Skywriting” - it alone is worth reading the book. I cannot think of a contemporary poet who uses our knowledge of the world today as thoughtfully and well as what O’Driscoll does in these poems. He writes of normal every day life. He writes of death. He writes of cattle, and brokers, and reading glasses. Yum. They are brilliant and beautiful. What a wonderful collection.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came to this book after learning of this well-regarded Irish poet's recent death. I'm sorry I didn't encounter him sooner, but I loved this book. Half of the book is taken up with a beautiful extended meditation called "Skywriting." The devastating title poem is heartbreaking and beautiful. Highly recommended.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part 2 of the book, "Skywritings," is worth the price of admission.