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A review by callum_mclaughlin
The Lost Spells by Robert Macfarlane
4.0
Following the huge success of their previous collaboration, The Lost Words, poet Robert Macfarlane and artist Jackie Morris have created another ode to the beauty of the natural world, and the importance of preserving the language we use to describe it.
The text is always approachable, the playful imagery and lively rhythm making the poems ideal pieces to be read aloud. Take for example these excerpts from my favourite poem in the collection, Red Fox:
A bloom of rust
at your vision’s edge,
The shadow that slips
through a hole in the hedge,
My two green eyes
in your headlights’ rush,
A scatter of feathers,
the tip of a brush.
[…]
Shifter of shapes
and garbage-raider,
Bearer of fire
and space-invader,
Taker of risks
and riddle-maker,
Messenger, trickster,
curfew-breaker.
Morris’s accompanying artwork is gorgeous. It captures the very real majesty of each species covered while quietly hinting at something more magical, such is the atmosphere of reverence established within the book. I love the sentiment of the project as a whole, and would be more than happy to see the two continue working together.
The text is always approachable, the playful imagery and lively rhythm making the poems ideal pieces to be read aloud. Take for example these excerpts from my favourite poem in the collection, Red Fox:
A bloom of rust
at your vision’s edge,
The shadow that slips
through a hole in the hedge,
My two green eyes
in your headlights’ rush,
A scatter of feathers,
the tip of a brush.
[…]
Shifter of shapes
and garbage-raider,
Bearer of fire
and space-invader,
Taker of risks
and riddle-maker,
Messenger, trickster,
curfew-breaker.
Morris’s accompanying artwork is gorgeous. It captures the very real majesty of each species covered while quietly hinting at something more magical, such is the atmosphere of reverence established within the book. I love the sentiment of the project as a whole, and would be more than happy to see the two continue working together.