The Lammas Hireling by Ian Duhig
(published by PICADOR, ISBN9780330492386)
Ian Duhig is a poet who tutored me in 2010
and 2012 ARVON writing workshops. Mostly, his books require much knowledge of European history and
literature, in particular, The Speed of Dark. However, I can enjoy
reading the book The Lammas Hireling. The theme range of
the collection is wide: subject matters on his Irish heritage, Christianity, Chinese
sonnets, etc.
Two poems ‘Meet The Duhigs’ and ‘The Fiddle
Teacher’ are familiar to me. Reading the former, I am intrigued by wide spread
of his family name in the world, e.g., geographically, Brisbane. In the historical
viewpoint, the meaning might be beyond my imagination. The latter is a bit occult
in the second quatrain. Here, I hear Vincent Price’s laughing in Michael
Jackson’s Thriller. The poem could be good to be read as spoken words for me.