Landing Light

"The US publication of this latest collection by Scottish poet Paterson is cause for celebration….What leaps out here is the passion, the musical inventiveness, and the breathtaking lyrical beauty. He is unafraid of jokes, wordplay, and resonance; and though he is smart, with a keen ear, his language is subtle and accessible.” —Library Journal (starred review)

Hailed for its “enormous skill and verve” (The Guardian), its “seriousness and moral urgency” (The Independent), Landing Light is one of the most important and resonant poetry collections to come out of Britain in recent years. Ceaselessly inquiring, deftly tuned into the emotional crackle of the world, Don Paterson discovers the love of a son, a talking book, the voices of a wreckage left in the black box. In traditional forms, short lyrics, and long narratives, Paterson has crafted—with precision and passion—his most accomplished and spiritual collection.

“It’s a long time since I’ve been knocked sideways by a book of poems, but the life, energy, verbal precision and inventiveness of Don Paterson’s Landing Light kept me awake at night. It changes my view of the whole landscape of British poetry for the better.” —A.S. Byatt, The Guardian