Michael Foley: New and Selected Poems

Mordant wit, linguistic exuberance and a restless imagination are the hallmarks of Michael Foley’s poetry. For over three decades, and across four collections of poetry, his work has attracted critical acclaim and legions of readers who have been engaged and challenged by the candour, humour and compassion that drive his work.

New and Selected Poems brings together the best of Foley’s poetry along with over fifty new poems, including the long epic poem, ‘The Parliament of the Birds’. Gathered under the title ‘Walking into Jerusalem’ and heavily influenced by Chinese poetry, these new poems crackle with Foley’s trademark zest for life, his impatience with power politics and posturing, but are accompanied here by a deeper sense of quest: for enlightenment, for meaning and for a way to be in the world.

Chosen and ordered by Michael Foley, New and Selected Poems is an exciting and vibrant body of work and a testament to a poet whose voice has never been more engaging or compelling.