In Trace Elements, his first collection in eight years, Nigel Forde takes us on a quintessentially English journey through life and memory, exploring love, landscape, music and those difficult moments we all share but few can put into words. Though there is great sadness along the way, it is beautifully balanced with fine humour – the yin and yang of a life well-lived.
This powerful collection of poems deals with the darker side of childhood and throws light on the sinuous intricacies of music; a subject notoriously difficult to write about, but tackled here in several illuminating sections. It is also, at its heart, a paean to the English landscape; its beauty, its mystery and its soul-soothing qualities.
"The poems have a meditative, calmly contemplative quality, very quietly and very diligently working away at the subtle nuances of life which they record." — PN Review
"Take this book with you on a long train journey through the English countryside, and enjoy yourself." — The Independent
About the author
Nigel Forde was born in Leeds in 1944, and currently lives in York. He spent many years working as a professional actor before becoming a writer. His publications include Teaching the Wind Plurals (Robson Books, 1991), A Motley Wisdom (Hodder & Stoughton, 1995), A Map of the Territory (Carcanet, 2003), and The Choir Outing (Carcanet, 2010).
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