A verse sequence that swoops between wit and ancient wisdom, between the mystical and the mischievous, elucidating the trickster nature of Hermes, the messenger god of imagination, language, dreams, travel, theft, emails, tweets and trading-floors. Taking a fresh look at some classical myths, this vivacious dance with Hermes choreographs ways in which, as an archetype of the poetic basis of mind, the sometimes disreputable god remains as provocative as ever in a world that worries – among other things – about losing its iPhone, what happens after death, online scams, and the perplexing condition of its soul.
“This is an impressive collection, with an ancient and perennial wisdom, and language that is modern, even “street-wise” without being cheap. I admire the range of contemporary reference; the “voice” of these poems suggests a real freedom of mind, and expresses a live imagination.”
(Jeremy Hooker, Author of The Cut of the Light, Collected Poems)
“Deft, witty, wing-footed – Lindsay Clarke’s poems wonderfully embody what they describe: the god Hermes, who is comprehensively shown to be just as revelatory and double-dealing in the digital age as he ever was in antiquity.”
(Patrick Harpur, Author of Mercurius and The Philosopher’s Secret Fire)
“He plays formidably with his rhymes throughout, in tones that are both teasing and serious, admiring, yet mocking and deeply respectful all at once – an achievement in the art of ‘polymetis’ (skilled in many things, many of them incompatible and some of them wise) worthy of the god himself…”
(Jules Cashford, Co-author of The Myth of the Goddess and author of Moon: Myth and Image)