The Bigger Picture.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Free-Press-Release.com) January 7, 2010 -- When and if the Large Hadron Collider at CERN ever gets to function properly, will this pose competition for the poems found in Brenda Goldings collection, Strange Attractors? After all they are both exploring a similar question - that of the relationship between the immeasurable (General relativity in Hadron’s case) and the miniscule (as hypothesised in quantum mechanics). Unfortunately for Hadron, even if it succeeds, Golding will always have the ineffable poetical edge.

Strange attractors is a rich collection of 76 poems that address a variety of topics, from social and economic issues - wars abroad, global warming, GM crops - to domestic issues to questions of our own mortality and the nature of existence. In each case the topic is looked at in both its micro and macro manifestations. So time becomes just one moment repeating itself throughout history; objects and people are particles that come together for one moment in the expanse of the universe. Three poems, all entitled Distance, in the final section sum this up simply: at a distance things look very different.

But this collection is not only the poetry of ideas. It is beautifully crafted, using the traditional effects of poetry but in fresh and unexpected ways. And although there are thought-provoking ideas within the poems there is no dogma. On the contrary, the labyrinthine verse, intricate language, far-flung allusions and minimal punctuation interpolate readers and engage them with the poetry, inviting them to offer their own meanings and conclusions.

This is Brenda Golding’s third volume of verse, following The Sword In Your Stone (2006) and Tomorrow’s People (2007). She was born in 1965 and has studied metaphysics and holistic therapy. She now runs her own holistic healthcare practice in Hertfordshire.

Strange Attractors is a collection that induces contemplation about the nature of what is real and the meaning of our values in the greater scheme of things. As with all good poetry, the reader will feel that much wiser after having read it.

Brenda Golding     Poetry anthologies     poetry book