A collection of essays covering a variety of subjects and locations. It includes a vivid series of attempts to strip away the exhausted mythologies of the writer's own country. First published in 1992.

Casgliad o ysgrifau sy'n trafod amrywiaeth o bynciau ac yn cyfeirio at amryfal leoedd a phobl mewn rhannau gwahanol o'r byd, gan gynnwys llawer o sylwadau craff a chrafog am Gymru. Cyhoeddwyd yn wreiddiol ym 1992.

Poet, essayist and novelist Robert Minhinnick enjoys an international reputation for his writing, which, although not prolific, has earned him several prizes. Watching the fire-eater is a welcome reprint of his first collection of essays, originally published in 1992, which won the Wales Book of the Year 1993. The content remains surprisingly relevant, while the simple, down-to-earth tone and style guarantees ready accessibility to a wide readership. There is a ‘savage gentleness’ in the writing and Minhinnick’s musings provide food for thought on a broad range of issues, from the personal to the political and from the local to the global, all of which are interconnected in a coherent whole.

I would have loved to have seen a new introduction or foreword, something that tracks ‘the journey’ that Minhinnick mentions in his original 1992 introduction. Many of the essays in the collection date back to the 1980s and it would be fascinating to have some commentary on these past two decades of stasis and change, but perhaps it is enough simply to read the essays and reach one’s own conclusions. Here are so many concerns and challenges that continue to face both the individual and the world, or that are reasserting themselves in this time of environmental crisis and economic meltdown: long-term unemployment and debilitating poverty, ill-considered development, the conflict that so often arises when you try to respect both the environment and human wants and needs, the dangers of promoting nuclear energy (‘founded primarily on public apathy, incomprehension and a blind faith in scientific progress’), and the horrors of electric convulsive therapy (‘the type of thing we will shudder at when we look back in twenty years’ time’...). On a rather lighter note, how sad to find that ‘Animal Crackers’ is still entirely up to date in its comments on the unspeakable vegetarian options offered by so many canteens and restaurants! Plus ça change...

Suzy Ceulan Hughes

It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgment should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.

Gellir defnyddio'r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatâd Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.