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.

REVIEWS

“Webster is particularly attuned to what lurks beneath Canada’s genteel facade, which is at odds with the nation’s tumultuous history, particularly with regard to the mistreatment of Indigenous Peoples in Canada…. Webster’s poems powerfully illustrate humanity’s self-destructive nature through political erasure and persistence, the horrors of war and social indifference.” – Cara Waterfall, Event Magazine

“Derek Webster’s second collection contains a panoramic meditation on the spell of nationhood and its grip on our lives. Throughout National Animal, we come to understand not only how this erratic creature defines our narratives, but also how inventive language allows us to move beyond the constraints of its dangerous territory.” -Martin Breul, Montreal Review of Books

“Poems with a distinctive style, precise imagery, and some sense of poetic heritage. … The challenging thematic scope of these poems is reflected in the poet’s adventurous approach to form and style.” – John Vardon,The New Quarterly