Voices of Friends Poetry & Art Almanac 2024

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This almanac was being rightfully dedicated to the two hundred and twentieth fifth (225th) anniversary of that giant of Russian letters Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (1799-1837). A man who towered over his contemporaries through the undeniable lyricism of his poetry, the subtle psychology of his novels and the intense dramatics of his ingeniously crafted plays. Furthermore, an author whose origins amid the Golden Age of Romanticism continue to overshadow my own contemporary corpus, due to Pushkin's intertwining of vocabularies surrounding 'prejudice' and 'mercy'. Taken together, twin motifs, which have come to encompass so much of Global Text on a number of levels. Indeed, Pushkin's monumental influence on fellow titans such as Henry James (1843-1916), as well as Sir Peter Shaffer (1926-2016) are still matters of ongoing debate amongst modern scholars. All meaning, I hope the unrepentant atavism of my six experimental poems in this collection pay an obvious homage to Eugene Onegin, not to mention the enduring inspiration offered by Pushkin's unique penmanship!

• David William Parry

Bute (Scotland) 2023