From England's former poet laureate, a collection of selected poetry spanning his celebrated careerAndrew Motion has said, "I want my writing to be as clear as water. I want readers to see all the way through its surfaces into the swamp." Though the territory of his exploration may be murky and mired--the front lines of war, political entanglements, romantic longing, and human suffering--Motion's conversational tone and lyrical style make for clear, bold poems that speak to contradictions at the heart of the human condition. In the tradition of English pastoral poetry that includes Ted Hughes, John Clare, and William Wordsworth, these poems skate over sweeping empires and plumb emotional depths, settling in a meditative, understated register. As an introduction to one of England's most lauded living poets, Coming in to Land offers a moving depiction of this writer's career as a chronicler of modernity's pitfalls and triumphs.
