Selected Poems

This Selected Poems presents the best of Andrew Johnston's five published collections, from How to Talk (1993) to Fits & Starts (2016). 'Andrew Johnson does the best titles. And then he puts the best poems underneath them.' -Bill Manhire 'Andrew Johnston's first collection, How to Talk, is a book of such invention, poise, and deceptive simplicity, that the New Zealanders should give him a great deal of time, paper and ink, and prevent his phone from ringing.' -Michael Hulse, PN Review 'Andrew Johnston's remarkable collection grew with each rereading, as its rich intellectual and emotional layers continued to reveal themselves. Fits & Starts is a slow-burning tour de force, each image, metaphor, theme deeply, fully imagined.' -Judges' Report, 2017 Ockham New Zealand Book Awards 'The combination of linguistic playfulness and a heartfelt questioning of how the world is, encapsulated within a concise, structured form, makes these intriguing poems a pleasure to read. They are aurally pleasing even when the meaning is elusive, and this equivocality makes them mysterious and attractive.' -Janet Newman, Takahe