In the Country of Birds

Typically set in regions torn apart by wars, the poetry of James Sutherland-Smith reflects the breadth of his experiences on the front lines and in the Middle East and Middle Europe. The language of these poems ventures into foreign and domestic places and expresses the sentiment that what is most strange is found not in the exoticism of remote locales but close to home. Delving into nature, politics, and the self-discoveries and self-deceptions of sexuality, the poems are marked with a fascination with appropriate language and are alive to the textures of the world.