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John Fuller, born in Ashford, Kent, is an acclaimed poet and novelist. His collection Stones and Fires (1996) was awarded the Forward Prize; Ghosts (2004) was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award for Poetry; The Space of Joy (2006) was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Award, and The Grey Among the Green (1988), Song & Dance (2008) and Pebble & I (2010) were all Poetry Book Society Recommendations. His 1983 novel Flying to Nowhere won the Whitbread First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also written collections of short stories and several books for children. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford.
John Fuller's 14th book of poetry presents 21 poems which are the epitome of his long sustained development as a poet of delicate intensity, rich humour and singing musicality. The beautiful unrhymed couplets of 'Piano Concerto' have a melodic sound quality arising from the subject itself, but also the surprise of unexpected reflections and images. 'Birth Bells for Louisa' has a lyrical repetitive form beguilingly appropriate to the loving, moving content. Fuller's mastery of rhyme and form, so brilliantly evident in all his volumes of poetry, once more sparkles in this collection. 'Round and Round: New Year's Eve 1990 for Prue' is personal, thoughtful and philosophical. It is also a nod in the direction of W H Auden's 'New Year Letter 1940'. Fuller has written 'A Reader's Guide to W H Auden' and although his own work is in no way derivative it has an affinity to Auden's brilliance, complexity and humanity. As Fuller's style develops, increasing number of his poems are unrhymed and there is also more freedom in the variation of line length, although the beauty of form is always there, particularly in the unrhymed couplets of 'Three for Prue' - three intensely visual poems filled with profound feeling. Perhaps a mature reaching for truth needs more silences and less of the tight clinching and closure of rhymed verse. Fuller celebrates much in these poems, looking back with no bitterness, and forward to the precious time remaining. Here are some of his finest love poems, and even his poem about death, or the dreams which will appear to his wife 'When I am Dead', is filled with the presence of love. A beautiful collection. (Kirkus UK)
