Edinburgh University Press
ISBN 10: 1846970024
“Hymn to a Young Demon” is a heady burst of fresh air, with poems in both Gaelic and the poet’s own English versions. It is a book which falls eloquently in two parts–‘the gift of anger’ and ‘the other turning’–articulated by the furious energy and irrepressible zest for life that readers of Aonghas MacNeacail’s work will instantly recognize. The collection’s scope ranges from the western isles of Scotland to the battlefields of Europe and the collapse of the Iron Curtain, from explosive battles with church and state to the intimate, mature poems of love and friendship, and the poems show how time and again human struggles and achievements are repeated across time and place. Anpowerful resolution of the final poem, “The Stone.” With an uncanny sense of prophecy, these assured and vigorous voice at the height of his power, Aonghas MacNeacail’s style sweeps to new heights.
 | Aonghas MacNeacailSkyeman Aonghas MacNeacail is an award-winning poet in Gaelic, English and Scots, songwriter in folk and classical idioms, journalist, broadcaster, translator and occasional actor. Poetry has taken him to North America, Japan, the Capitol in Rome, Berlin, Vienna, Warsaw, St Petersburg, the Arctic Circle, and Ireland frequently, among other international destinations. His first three poetry collections are out of print. Laoidh an Donais Oig (Hymn to a Young Demon) appeared in 2007, and his new and Selected Gaelic poems, Deanamh GÃ ire ris a Chleoc (Laughing at the Clock) was published. His songs have been set to music by some of Scotland’s leading composers and recorded by many wonderful singers. A pamphlet of poems in Scots, Ayont the Dyke (Beyond the Wall) appeared this year, and a new collection of poems in English should follow soon. |