Running Late [Paperback]

A major new volume for Hutchinson's most distinguished poet.

Dannie Abse's distinctiveness as a poet lies in his clarity. His distinction lies in his imaginative and feeling responses to a variety of different worlds - work as a doctor, the experience of life in Wales and North London, the mysterious nature of creativity, the Jewish and bardic traditions. His new collection draws on all these strands and is divided between personal experience and more general reflections, often prompted by an urgent awareness of the passing of time, counterpointed with transcendent moments of joy in ordinary things.

(20021018)

A major new volume for Hutchinson's most distinguished poet.

I've long thought Dannie Abse one of the most remarkable poets now writing' Godfrey Smith, Sunday Times

'The particular joy of reading Dannie Abse's poems is that while they can be subtle, glancing and are often complicated, they are always welcomingly clear' Observer

'His scalpel turns out to be a magical wand. Such is the alchemical power of good poetry' Elizabeth Jennings, Daily Telegraph

Dannie Abse's distinctiveness as a poet lies in his clarity. His distinction lies in his imaginative and feeling responses to a variety of different worlds - work as a doctor, the experience of life in Wales and North London, the mysterious nature of creativity, the Jewish and bardic traditions. His new collection draws on all these strands and is divided between personal experience and more general reflections, often prompted by an urgent awareness of the passing of time, counterpointed with transcendent moments of joy in ordinary things.

Dannie Abse was for many years a practising doctor in charge of a London chest clinic. His New and Collected Poems was a Special Commendation of the Poetry Book Society when it was published in 2003. His most recent novel The Strange Case of Dr Simmonds & Dr Glas was long-listed for the Booker Prize and his autobiography Goodbye, Twentieth Century also received critical acclaim.

Dannie Abse was for many years a chest specialist in a London teaching hospital. A poet, reviewer and playwright, he has written and edited more than sixteen books of poetry, as well as books about medicine and also fiction. He is the author of Ash on a Young Man's Sleeve and several autobiographical volumes, the most recent of which, Goodbye, Twentieth Century, was published by Pimlico in 2001 to critical acclaim. His most recent novel, The Strange Case of Dr Simmonds & Dr Glas, was published in 2002 and long-listed for the Booker Prize. In 2003 his New and Collected Poems received the Special Commendation of the Poerty Book Society, and Running Late received the Roland Mathais Prize in 2007. (20021018)