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5.0 AVERAGE
5.0 AVERAGE
emotional
reflective
sad
slow-paced
In an article for The Irish Times, McCann says his book asks, "What does it mean to love someone today? To be a gay person? To be Irish?" He goes on to say, "The visual settings of many of the poems are domestic, and render portraits of a queer domestic space (in Ireland) as a space of interest." These concerns are evident in a collection of poems marked by its lyricism, empathy, and tenderness. McCann revitalises the tradition of the lyric love poem, reflecting not just on romantic love, but on parental love, friendship, and love for non-human animals. McCann's poems are meticulously structured, which gives them energy and power. 'Devotion' also contains a response to the famous "Keen for Art Uí Laoghaire" by Eibhlín Dubh Ní Chonaill -- in this case, reimagined in a modern Irish setting, and describing a relationship between two men. By repositioning Ní Chonaill's poem, McCann gives the reader a sense of the universality of love and grief, while also exploring the particularly of a relationship that ended due to a violent crime. McCann's poems are marked by his fierce attention to everyday spaces, and by his sinuous, agile language. His is clearly an important voice in Irish poetry.