Bodywork

The starting point of many of the pieces in this dazzling collection is a single body part belonging to a specific character, real or imaginary: e.g. "Beethoven's Ear", or "The Tattooed Leg of Madame Vaekehu". Others concentrate on a person in a particular occupation, from "Sailmaker's Palm" to "Clergyman's Throat". Sometimes, as in the case of "Mad Hatter's Syndrome", the focus is literally based on the illness; in others, such as "Baker's Itch", it is a metaphorical rather than literal aspect which is central. This is a daring, exciting, amusing, sometimes salacious, always lyrical, a peep show of poetry.