Crossing Over

Tony Curtis''s wide-ranging interests in visual art, the impact of war and the nature of friendship coalesce in his latest collection, Crossing Over.

A number of the poems take their inspiration from great artists, from early religious icons to expressionist canvasses, from a ''buttery girl'' in a Flemish Landscape to the chainsaw sculptures of David Nash. There is also a series of sumptuous poems about travelling, including ''Postcards from Tuscany'' where the lush beauty of the landscape contrasts with the poet''s mood, saddened by the death of a friend. There are several poems about America, from Yosemite on the West Coast to Jones Beach on the Eastern seaboard. The sonnet about his granddaughter opens this varied and striking collection, which shows the work of a poet writing with power, honesty and sensitivity.

"Crossing Over is Tony Curtis at his very best: forceful, eloquent and rich in artistry."
Helen Dunmore

"It is when he engages directly with the world around him, whether via a granddaughter''s first snow; or the god-governed, paper-torn clouds of his own country, that his poems sing."
Sarah Crown, The Guardian

"There is a confidence and charm about Curtis'' writing: a blend of subtle sparkle-eyed wit and joy at what life holds, or might hold around the next bend of the next poem, that is attractive. He is an accomplished writer and an engaging one."
Bob Mee, Iota

Tony Curtis is Professor of Poetry at the University of Glamorgan where he directs an MPhil in Writing. He has published 26 books, including nine poetry collections, including Heaven''s Gate (2001). A selection of his poetry has recently been translated and published in Armenia. He is also the editor of several anthologies including After the First Death, a volume of war writing (2007).