Why Are You Shouting?, James Womack's fourth Carcanet collection, thinks about two things in particular: our struggle as individuals to find connections between ourselves, with friends, family and lovers, and the efforts we make as groups to connect to the environment we live and die in. Written in the shadow of the climate crisis and the pandemic years, the poems set out to find points of hope and solidarity, against a common backdrop of disruption and collapse to which we are often wilfully blind.

Alongside these concerns runs a narrative of personal blindness and self-enchantment, a willingness to allow oneself to be misled in order to have a quiet life. If the collection's title suggests that raising one's voice is the readiest way to reach other people, the poems themselves dare to offer quieter solutions, too: there is space for humour and kindness, even a degree of positive thinking about the state the world is in.

The ghost of Cassandra, the Trojan princess given the gift of prophecy but condemned to have no one believe her words, haunts the collection: her life is a warning, but also an antidote to willed ignorance.

'The God of whom I speak is dead.
I did my makeup in a disco ball.
I looked at the whole magnificent
creation of the Lord, and asked,
sadly, "Is it cake?"'

About the Author:

James Womack lives in Cambridge, where he teaches Spanish and study skills. He is the author of three previous collections of poetry with Carcanet: Misprint (2012), On Trust: A Book of Lies (2017) and Homunculus (2020). He also translates widely from Spanish and Russian, most recently Camilo Jos� Cela's The Hive (NYRB Classics, 2023).

"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.

Store Description

The Saint Bookstore has a range of over 1 million titles available.

Visit Seller's Storefront

Seller's business information

SB ONLINE LTD
50 Devonshire Road, Southport, PR9 7BZ, United Kingdom

Terms of Sale:

Please order through the Abebooks checkout. We only take orders through Abebooks - We don't take direct orders by email or phone.

Refunds or Returns: A full refund of the purchase price will be given if returned within 30 days in undamaged condition.

As a seller on abebooks we adhere to the terms explained at http://www.abebooks.co.uk/docs/HelpCentral/buyerIndex.shtml - if you require further assistance please email us at orders@thesaintbookstore.co.uk

Shipping Terms:

Most orders usually ship within 1-3 business days, but some can take up to 7 days.

Payment Methods
accepted by seller

Add to Wants

Items related to Why Are You Shouting?

Why Are You Shouting?

James Womack

New - Soft cover

Seller's business information