Sleeping Dogs

The first name you gave her was always secret
as the little clump of cells grew large, as bones
hardened under the softness of growing limbs,
the curve of torso. You kept it to yourself.

From the epic of Gilgamesh to the laws of thermodynamics, from Rimbaud in Paris to unheard voices of literature, Sleeping Dogs is a visceral and often acerbic collection marked by Martin Dolan’s taut, undeniable lines and precise, crystalline language.

‘This compelling poetry collection begins by revoicing characters from the Epic of Gilgamesh and memorably re-envisioning the nineteenth-century French poet Arthur Rimbaud. As it ranges over numerous themes and ideas—such as violence, family relationships, religion, science and human intimacy—it also invokes and dramatises a variety of other neglected perspectives and voices. This book is scrupulous and exploratory, attuned to its literary and cultural inheritances yet richly charged with new and contemporary insights.‘
Paul Hetherington