Three Regrets and a Hymn to Beauty

This collection of poetry features five extended poems that explore the concept of beauty and the nature of language. Though they discuss serious philosophical ideas, the verses are full of zest and energy, wit and humor. This unique volume also features remembered and misremembered song lyrics from John Lennon, Lou Reed, Johnny Cash, Emmylou Harris, Gram Parsons, Ryan Adams, and Courtney Love, among others. In addition, it includes fragments from philosophers and poets of the sublime, especially William Wordsworth and John Ruskin, and from religious texts such as the Bible and the Tao-Te Ching. Through glimpses of imperfection, Wedde offers a fresh take on the familiar, sparking a new vision of the world and its wonders.

Ian Wedde has published nine previous collections of poetry, two novels, numerous short stories and essays, and was coeditor of an important anthology of New Zealand poetry. He won the New Zealand Book Award for Poetry for Spells for Coming Out and is currently in France on the 2005 Menton Fellowship. He served as an art curator at The Museum of New Zealand–Te Papa for many years and is now an independent consultant.