Inspired by Shakespeare's songs, the short poems of Emily Dickinson, and Wordsworth's "Lucy" poems, this collection of songlike poetry is based on the ubiquitous spread of weeds - like the shallow rooting plants, small poems can grow anywhere. In her seventh collection, Khalvati demonstrates a dazzling mastery of traditional forms and experiments with the Ghazal, an ancient Persian form comprised of an unrhymed couplet. Evoking three generations and geographies of women, "The Meanest Flower" reinstates the joyful, audible aspect of the lyric.

About the Author
MIMI KHALVATI, born in Tehran in 1944, grew up on the Isle of Wight and attended the Drama Centre, London. She worked as a director at the Theatre Workshop, Tehran, translating from English into Farsi and devising new plays. She co-founded the Theatre in Exile group. She now lives in Hackney and is a Visiting Lecturer at Goldsmiths College, running poetry workshops and courses in London. Her previous Carcanet collections include In White Ink (1991) and Mirrorwork (1995), Selected Poems (2000) and The Chine (2002).

Reviews
"Any number of other poems could be cited from Khalvati's superb volume that would further attest to her genius for translating in this way what might superficially seem old or recycled idioms into something novel and almost entirely her own (the collection includes villanelles, terze rime, and even a heroic crown of sonnets)." Rafael Campo, "Boston Review"


Awards
Short-listed for T S Eliot Prize 2007.



Book Information
ISBN 9781857548686
Author Mimi Khalvati
Format Paperback
Page Count 96
Imprint Carcanet Press Ltd
Publisher Carcanet Press Ltd
Weight(grams) 113g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 135mm * 10mm