Exurbia, the title of Andy Brown’s eighth collection of poetry, is the name of the urban fringe at the outer limits of suburbia. These poems begin here, characterised by edges, transition and change. In the assured lyric voice for which Andy Brown’s poetry has become well known, they pay meticulous attention to where and how we make our homes. The poems of the book’s central sequence are elegiac versions inspired by the Argentinian poet Borges, gazing over the city’s blurred outskirts at dawn and sundown, while the book’s final poems reach fully ex urbia, arriving at woodlands and moors, rivers and estuaries. Here, from the edge of the shoreline, they head out to sea before making a circular migration back home.
“A contemporary goliard with an emotional range. The aural landscape that Brown creates is remarkable.”
James Sutherland-Smith
“A love of language and willingness to play with music, meaning and the reader’s expectations and perceptions.”
Poetry Review
“An exceptional collection of poems, clever and beautiful, that exhibits mastery of diverse forms.”
Stride Magazine
“One of our most interesting and exciting younger poets.”
John Burnside