Ask the Moon

To the lover of poetry, the death of any fine poet is cause for grief - because a singing voice is silenced forever. Welshman Abse, doctor and poet, died in September, so this last collection is a volume to treasure.

Daily Mail

He brought a blend of precision and compassion to a body of work that was attentive, tender and always deeply felt.

Poetry Books of the Year, Guardian

Glorious . . . Abse's warmth and lightness of touch is evident whether applied to young love, the horrors of war or the quiet absorption of grief.

Maria Crawford (Poetry Books of the Year), Financial Times

Such a full span of acutely observed and rendered life experience is rarely found in a body of poetic work but it is the nature of the intelligence and voice brought to bear upon these experiences that makes Abse's poems such powerfully quiet reminders of what it is that matters.

London Library Magazine

A resounding last statement of his faith in the art of poetry as a vehicle of "pleasure, comedy and grief" . . . His New and Collected Poems can, and should, be read now for the pleasure given by the calm, human, good-natured voice that has just fallen silent. But it should be retained for the darker, more insightful poems that will most surely last.

Poetry Review