Book review: ‘Selected Poems’ by Kathleen Jamie

Kathleen Jamie is one of my favourite writers. I make a point of re-reading her ‘nature writing’ collections every year during my annual holiday in Anglesey. Favourite books for favourite places.

I have a pet theory that poets make excellent prose writers. Not (god forbid!) because they write poetically, but because they are accustomed to writing with precision. Jamie is a prime example. But, it turns out, poets are also pretty good at writing poetry.

This is a most enjoyable selection of Jamie’s poems. I can’t claim to have understood or appreciated all of them, but those that I did I enjoyed very much indeed. So much so that I have even earmarked one of them for possible inclusion at my funeral. (Not that I hope it will ever need to be used, you understand.)

Highly recommended.