Academe

Paul Groves's first volume confirms the promise which has marked him out as one of the most engaging poetic voices of recent years. Crystalline, deft, and exhilaratingly ironic, these poems deserve a wide audience. Those who are not already familiar with Paul Groves's well-crafted verse will not be disappointed by this intelligent, original, and accomplished debut, which delights as much through its energy as through its precision."At his best, Groves can be compelling and funny, and he is adept at underscoring conventional full-rhyming stanzas with a deadpan diction." Conor O'Callaghan, Times Literary SupplementPaul Groves was brought up in Wales, to which he has returned after living for twenty-five years in the Forest of Dean. He has been strikingly successful in national and international competitions and has published poetry and criticism in a wide range of periodicals, including The London Magazine, Poetry Review and The Times Literary Supplement. He lives in Monmouth.