The Kiss

Among Ulick O'Connor's prodigious literary output as biographer, playwright, literary historian and critic, he is also a poet. Since his first book of poems Life Styles appeared in 1973, he has been writing and publishing memorable poetry. His engagement with his subject matter, his deft use of form, craft and above all lyricism, define these poems and make it a pleasure to rediscover them or encounter them for the first time. In a judicious selection, they are gathered here along with his translations from numerous languages, including his exceptional renderings of Baudelaire and more recent poems that have appeared in journals over the past decade.