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Kingdomland

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( 276 ratings, 34 reviews)
Book Hero Magic crafted this summary to help describe this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Summary
Kingdomland is the debut poetry collection by Rachael Allen, known for her rare vision and flair. The poems conjure a world filled with surreal images and uncanny incidents, where everyday grief, dysfunction, and injustice are entwined with unexplained violence and strange metamorphoses. Landscapes and identities shift, blending reality with the surreal, creating a haunting and unforgettable exploration of life through linked sequences and ekphrasis.
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Format: Paperback / softback
$3299
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?

Ideal for readers interested in contemporary poetry with surreal and evocative imagery, and those who appreciate deep explorations of human experience through innovative poetic forms.

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Debut collection from Faber New Poet Rachael Allen.

Debut collection from Faber New Poet Rachael Allen

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Kingdomland is the debut poetry collection of Rachael Allen—a writer of rare vision and flair. The world she creates is suffused with surreal images and uncanny incidents. Unexplained violences and strange metamorphoses take shape in the 'glowering dusk'. And yet, all too clearly, we recognise life here on earth, its everyday griefs, dysfunctions, and injustices.

Where distinctions between murder and bloodletting, corruption and consumption are blurred. Where a pet tarantula or mimic octopus might find itself beside glands and processed meats. Landscapes shift and identities dissolve: 'the red bricks of the day' exist 'in a woman's chest', a human presence is 'embedded in the walls'. All appears changed, but familiar.

Intercut with oblique verse fragments and a series of linked sequences, Allen blends elements of fiction and ekphrasis to create a haunting and unforgettable debut.

Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?

The Sunday Times praises Kingdomland for its fiery intensity and precise surprise, marking a powerful poetic debut. The Guardian highlights the collection's urgency and quiet seriousness, noting its disturbing and unnerving impact through effective imagery. Both reviews acclaim Allen's transformation from earlier works to a more profound and haunting voice.

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Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9780571341115

Publisher: Faber & Faber

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 17 January 2019

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Faber & Faber

Edition: Main

Audience: General / adult

DIMENSIONS

Spine width: 8.0mm

Width: 130.0mm

Height: 195.0mm

Weight: 115g

Pages: 80

About the Author

Rachael Allen was born in Cornwall and studied at Goldsmiths College. She is the co-author of Jolene, a book of poems and photographs with Guy Gormley, and Nights of Poor Sleep, a book of poems and paintings with Marie Jacotey. She has received a Northern Writers' Award and an Eric Gregory Award, and was made a Faber New Poet in 2014. She is poetry editor at Granta and co-founder of the poetry press clinic and online journal tender.

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