When the World Was Left in Pieces by Jennifer Copley
“In the tradition of Wilfred Owen, this excellent pamphlet evokes the pity of war. Jennifer Copley has written urgent, visceral poems which are unrelenting in their emphasis on the sufferings of its victims. These are uncompromising pieces evoking horror in direct language and domestic detail which approaches the disturbingly incongruous and surreal. Old women, mothers and children flee from a country where even the dolls are dead. A direct address from a journalist to the reader sees all that rubble./ You, letting it happen. Everyone should read this pamphlet, especially Presidents and Generals.”
Carole Coates
“These heartfelt, intense poems lay bare the horror, trauma and sheer fatigue felt by those living in a war zone. In vivid language, Jennifer Copley takes us into the homes of those who must burn their clothes to stay alive, or walk ‘a hundred roads’ to have a chance of escaping the conflict. The second section explores the lives of those who leave their homeland in search of safety. Tender poems written in the voices of different characters illuminate their experiences. Throughout, memories of the pleasures of everyday life enjoyed before the war provide a bittersweet contrast to the harsh reality of here and now. A beautiful, humane collection.”
Caroline Gilfillan
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