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Derek Webster
National Animal, Derek Webster’s second book of poetry, inhabits a wider public space than his acclaimed debut Mockingbird. In poems that extend beyond the biographical toward the political, Webster’s quiet, sharp-eyed narrator—a man “tripping / my way forward, trying to lead my own life”—watches history being erased in favour of more socially palatable ideas and comforting self-portraits. Uncompromising and substantial, National Animal explores our “civic moment” where "birds sing oblivion / estranged from all things," and meditates, in a final image-rich sequence, on our place in a science-based cosmos.
Signal EditionsPoetry 2024
“National Animal does what all great poetry is supposed to; it converts everyday superabundant materials, whether holy or common, into a tangible picture, one that resonates at the heart of what it means to be a Canadian.” -Samuel Wise, Montreal Guardian
"Derek Webster's second collection contains a panoramic meditation on the spell of nationhood and its grip on our lives." – Martin Breul, Montreal Review of Books
Other books by Derek Webster: Mockingbird
7.5" x 5"
ISBN13: 9781550656619
CDN $13.99
Trade paperback
80 pp 7.5" x 5"
ISBN13: 9781550656572
CDN $19.95 US & International
US $16.95