John Siddique creates a new national narrative from everyday British life in his new collection

In a time when so many consider poetry to be of little relevance, here is a writer and a book that has never been more relevant to the questions of today and the people we are.

‘As John Siddique reminds us in his extraordinary new collection, life unfolds whether or not we choose to participate in the “future histories” being created at every moment. The poems in this book form a literary chronograph for survival, echoing life’s ticking clock while inviting us to stop and observe the moments before they pass. These poems masterfully name and celebrate the glorious panorama of intimate yet communal subjects and objects that infuse experience with meaning. In this irreplaceable collection, John Siddique creates a time-line for evaporating memories, observations and sensations, and reveals life’s potential to be a hidden gallery.’
Professor Lauri Ramey - Director, Centre for Contemporary Poetry, California State University, Los Angeles

‘John Siddique is an accomplished writer across several genres, but his fourth collection of poetry 'Recital: an Almanac' demonstrates his considerable range within this form has not lessened. Politically alert, he is also a gifted and adventurous love-poet bringing the Japanese art of bondage, Shibari, into Erato's northern court for surely the first time; an excellent nature poet, he writes equally well of childhood, friendship and loss. His work shows an international awareness enriched by an Islamic-Catholic heritage, which must account to some extent for the humour that sparkles through this marvellous book. Anyone interested in the fascinating cross-fertilisation of poetries now revitalising the literature of these islands must read it.’
Ian Duhig – Author of ‘The Lammas Hireling’

‘On love, loss and hope, these poems are imbued with a beautiful, tender melancholia'.
Bernadine Evaristo – Author of ‘Blonde Roots’