Saturday 10 December 2016

Shadows On The Downs by Pam Hughes


Shadows On The Downs by Pam Hughes, illustrated by Harold Mockford
Published in the UK in August 2008.

How I got this book:
Bought the paperback at an art gallery

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Shadows on the Downs is a celebration of the poetry of Pam Hughes and the painting of Harold Mockford, both of whom live in Seaford and are devout Quakers. I bought the slim volume of poetry at the Towner Gallery during their 2012 Harold Mockford exhibition, however the book was originally published in 2008 to coincide with an exhibition of the same name at the Hop Gallery in Lewes.

The pairing of Hughes and Mockford produces some interesting results through the book and I like the way the poems and paintings complement each other. I believe that all existed in their own right before the project so it would be coincidental that Song Of A Refugee is so perfectly illustrated by The Visitor and Baked Beans by Miss Andrews. I found the poetry interesting in that some poems I can completely identify with - Please Do Not Place Things On This Altar expresses my feelings on visiting Christian churches as an outsider to the religion - whereas others I don't think I understood at all. The award winning Jawbation is for me the standout poem, written in Sussex dialect and telling of a family reduced to debtors when their hen stops laying eggs. I also particularly like Seaford Lament, a short-lined description of little people in a huge natural world, and Whispers which is a wonderful piece about thoughts while walking on the Downs.

Etsy Find!
by Bucket List Print Shop in
London, England

Click pic to visit Etsy Shop


Search Literary Flits for more:
Books by Pam Hughes and Harold Mockford / Poetry / Books from England

No comments:

Post a Comment