Böcker av Andy Kissane

These poems are unflinching in the face of death, yet filled with the delights of living, from a potato harvest to a walk beside a river. They are in tune with the complexities of the modern world - the unseen environmental impact of war, an apocalyptic vision of a flooded city, a shocking glimpse of school bullying, the heartbreaking dreams of refugees. An extended sequence, set during the Vietnam war, dramatises the confronting nature of combat and the way it comes back to haunt you, night after sleepless night. Finally, a fascination with the creativity of painters builds to the blazing farewell of an unknown artist.

"When we put Kissane's almost telepathic empathy, his political subtlety and his humour together with his wide-ranging technical skills we have an Australian poet who is both a pleasure to read and a likely candidate for the best half-dozen or so of his generation." - Geoff Page, Canberra Times "This is generous poetry. Out to Lunch is a book of sustenance, pleasure and tender anatomies of living. These poems have conscience and gratitude; a sense of the momentous in ordinary things. Feast and savour. Delicacies will stick in your teeth-and you'll want them there." - Meredith Wattison A childlike perspective on life makes Out to Lunch a breath of fresh air in the solemnity of many other poetry collections that explore family dynamics and the elusive self. The poems are beautiful aural/oral creations... lovely to recite, perform and enjoy. - Judges' Comments, Shortlist, NSW Premier's Prize for Poetry