This landmark publication of more than 300 poems reflects the sixty-plus-year publishing life of the late Leslie Norris, who died in 2007, aged 86. Edited by Meic Stephens, and with an introduction by Patrick McGuiness.

Y mae'r gyfrol nodedig hon o dros 300 o gerddi yn rhychwantu gyrfa'r bardd Leslie Norris, a fu farw yn 2007 yn 86 oed. Golygwyd y gyfrol gan Meic Stephens, a cheir rhagymadrodd gan Patrick McGuiness.

In this superb volume we can follow the poetic development of Leslie Norris from his early work, some of which betrays the influence of Dylan Thomas, to poems in which the style is very much his own.

The Complete Poems should not be confused with the Collected Poems which appeared some years ago. There are many poems here which the reader will be unfamiliar with. The earlier poems include renderings of work, e.g. Dafydd ap Gwilym, but there are also poems for children.

Norris excels as a nature poet and owes something to Edward Thomas, a poet whom he greatly admired and whose sense of melancholy he shares to a great extent. Like Thomas, his imagery was striking: ‘Winter. The blind lake turns its solid/Eye to the snowcloud./In the village/The doors are fast, the chimneys fat with coalsmoke.’

So many of the poems are autumnal, including ‘October in the Lane’: ‘Heavy with drying. Our trees prepare/The black calligraphies of winter, we strip/Our fields for the frost fire . . .’

This landmark publication, edited by Meic Stephens, has an illuminating introduction by Patrick McGuiness. It is a book which anyone with an interest in Welsh writing in English will wish to have on their shelves.

Dewi Roberts

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.