[Janet Kenny]

Philip Quinlan doesn't know that I am writing this but after some thought I decided it should be done.

I have just read and admired his beautifully produced book of English nature poems which is illustrated by the English landscape artist, Annie Ovenden.

Philip is also a musician and it shows in his balancing of sounds, tension and pace. I felt as though I were experiencing a song-cycle as one poem pulled me into the next. The moody illustrations almost act as an accompaniment. The poems are intensely English. The language is economical and controlled but there is plenty of passion. It's impossible not to think of Houseman (to whom one poem is dedicated). Another is dedicated to Laurie Lee. Another to Walter de la Mare. Another to John Masefield. They are a celebration of humanity in a landscape. Intensely physical and mobile. They are never maudlin and always a little wild in spirit. A beautiful experience all together.

The book is published by the VerbFori Press. It is a limited edition.