Selected Poems

This Selected Poems presents the best of Andrew Johnstons five published collections, from How to Talk (1993) to Fits & Starts (2016). Andrew Johnson does the best titles. And then he puts the best poems underneath them. Bill Manhire Andrew Johnstons first collection, How to Talk, is a book of such invention, poise, and deceptive simplicity, that the New Zealanders should give him a great deal of time, paper and ink, and prevent his phone from ringing. Michael Hulse, PN Review Andrew Johnstons remarkable collection grew with each rereading, as its rich intellectual and emotional layers continued to reveal themselves. Fits & Starts is a slow-burning tour de force, each image, metaphor, theme deeply, fully imagined. Judges Report, 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards The combination of linguistic playfulness and a heartfelt questioning of how the world is, encapsulated within a concise, structured form, makes these intriguing poems a pleasure to read. They are aurally pleasing even when the meaning is elusive, and this equivocality makes them mysterious and attractive. Janet Newman, Takah See more