Now, with Beyond this Dark House, Kay brings his unique voice to poetry. Although this collection is his first book of poems, Kay is a seasoned poet, having been published in such major literary journals as The Antigonish Review and Prism. The bold poems of Beyond this Dark House, deceptive in their simplicity, will appeal both to readers of his novels and of contemporary poetry alike.
As might be expected, Kay’s poetry is steeped in mythic allusions. In “Guinevere at Almesbury,” he takes on the voice of King Arthur’s shamed wife as she lives in exile. In “Being Orpheus,” he considers the mythic musician who braved the underworld to return his beloved to the land of the living. But readers may be surprised by the vulnerability and sensuality that Kay expresses in these poems. With potent words of love and loss, longing and desire, Kay’s poetry expresses universal emotions and themes in a fresh way — truly sharing with us the world’s hidden beauty.
Read more about Kay's passion for poetry in our interview with him below... |
Q: You've been writing poetry for longer than you've been writing fiction. Why did you wait until now to share a collection of your poems?
A: Around the time I began publishing my fiction I stopped sending out poetry for publication - though I continued writing it. Essentially it became something I did for myself. Over the last two or three years an increasing number of people I respect had become more and more persuasive in suggesting it was time to release a collection. I undertook to have a long look at the accumulated body of work and see if a shape and selection emerged for me...and, obviously, they did.
Q: How does your experience as a novelist inform your poetry?
A: That's a complex question that really needs a complex answer. All of us have certain themes and motifs that engage us. These can change over the years, but some core, central elements will remain, and these are likely to show up in poetry, fiction, essays, speeches. In that sense, I'd say that both my fiction and poetry are infused with certain concerns, and readers are likely to see some of these fairly readily.
In another sense, over the years of writing and publishing novels, I've become increasingly aware of how strong my own drive towards narrative and story is. Beyond this Dark House took its structure (to my initial amusement, actually) very much from a narrative point of view and I'm quite sure that's a result of twenty years of writing fiction and thinking about narrative shape — what I call the 'architecture' of a book.
Q: About writing your novels, you've said, "I hate writing. The actual writing process is not pleasurable, it's stressful, anxiety-provoking, draining and intense. And, the sense of responsibility to myself, to the story, to my readers grows with each book." Do you feel that way about the writing of poetry? And did you feel that responsibility to your readers with Beyond this Dark House?
A: One of the pleasures of poetry over the years has been the absence of publication. No deadlines, no sense of competing with myself. The poems emerged and were written to their own rhythm and impulse...and as a result the task and labour element of fiction just wasn't there. Poetry is also a wonderful relief from the 'marathon' aspect of writing my novels, which (as I rather suspect many have noticed) are not short.
With Beyond this Dark House, I was quite conscious of wanting to create a book that would offer insight and illumination for readers of my fiction, but at the same time would stand entirely on its own, for someone who'd never read a page of my novels. In fact, this is analogous to my aspiration in my historical fantasies: I want the novels to 'work' for those who know the periods I'm drawing upon for inspiration, but also to be engaging and accessible to readers who know nothing at all of the actual historical periods.
Q: Like your novels,Beyond this Dark House reveals a keen sensitivity to the voices of the past. One poem in this collection is a response to Dylan Thomas's "Over Sir John's Hill"; elsewhere, there are echoes of Tennyson. Could you discuss the role these voices play in your poetry?
A: Just as, in my fiction, I draw on past events and voices, so in some of the poems I make use of the same idea. I like the notion of 'variations on a theme' that is inherent in a fantasy novel inspired by an actual historical period. In the same way (I mentioned recurring motifs above, didn't I?) I like playing variations on some other writers, or on — in many instances — well-known myths and legends. Each generation (each writer, painter, musician) needs to find a new way to approach the 'central' material of the human condition. If we didn't — if we didn't believe this was possible — how could anyone presume to write a new love poem?
|
Penguin Classics
Spinebreakers
Five Dials
Blog
Podcast
Tweet