The Slain Birds by Michael Longley Carcanet The many ethical dilemmas these

The many ethical dilemmas these poems enact listen in to the noise which society makes to distract itself – from carceral space to questions of asylum

‘By turns laconic and passionate

and finally the political upheavals of the present

 Poetry Ireland Review

through fireworks of surreal images

The Slain Birds by Michael Longley Carcanet The many ethical dilemmas these'One of the most perfect poets alive. There is something in his work both ancient and modern. I read him as I might check the sky for stars.' Sebastian BarryMichael Longley's new collection takes its title from Dylan Thomas 'for the sake of the souls of the slain birds sailing'. The Slain Birds encompasses souls, slayings and many birds, both dead and alive. The first poem laments a tawny owl killed by a car. That owl reappears later in 'Totem', which