[Ann Drysdale]

Manifold Manor by Philip Gross.
Faber £3.99

Who could resist verse so accessible?
A poet who can take us by the hand
And lead us, not into some alien land
But through what is familiar and possible
In words and metres we can understand.
"A book of verse about forsaken premises
And those who might have lived there," says the blurb:
And yet the book gives far more than it promises.
It may amuse, amaze, distract, disturb.
His verses offer facets of reality
Like little sequins. Here are grins and tears,
Humour and horror of encroaching years,
Odd intimations of mortality;
It's sad and stimulating, fierce and funny
And worth four quid of anybody's money.

South Wales Argus 1989.