Zonal

Description

Don Paterson's latest collection of poetry starts from the premise that the crisis of mid-life may be a permanent state of mind. Zonal is an experiment in science-fictional and fantastic autobiography, with all of its poems taking their imaginative cue from the first season of The Twilight Zone (1959-1960), playing fast and loose with both their source material and their author's own life. Narrative and dramatic in approach, genre-hopping from horror to Black Mirror-style sci-fi, 'weird tale' to metaphysical fantasy, these poems change voices constantly in an attempt to get at the truth by alternate means. Occupying the shadowlands between confession and invention, Zonal takes us to places and spaces that feel endlessly surprising, uncanny and limitless.

Don Paterson has published seven poetry collections, three books of aphorisms, translations of Machado and Rilke, several works of literary criticism and an ambitious ars poetica, The Poem. His poetry has received many awards. He is Professor of Poetry at the University of St Andrews and Poetry Editor at Picador Macmillan; he also works as a jazz musician. He lives in Edinburgh.

'Dynamic, interrogative and unsettling; crafted yet open-ended; fiercely smart, savage and stirring - from the get-go, Paterson's poetry has been essential reading.' - Guardian 'An immensely skilled poet of craft and restraint, who speaks with a stunning lyrical voice.' - Daily Telegraph