Andrew

I'm an English author living in London. I have recently published a new collection of poetry:
Poems (2007) continues the style of my "New Poems" and "Collected Poems 1982-2004". The poems are written in classical metre, in the romantic tradition of English poetry. They include "Five Hymns" (dedicated to five gods and goddesses representing different elements of contemporary culture and spirituality), "Twelve Films By Eric Rohmer", "An Older Actress" (a narrative poem in alexandrine couplets about a French actress and her film career), "William Blake And The Eighteenth Century New Age" and "Sonnetinas" (a miscellaneous sequence of sonnet-like miniatures). It is onsale at online bookstores (e.g. Amazon) and can be downloaded as a free pdf by clicking the title link above.
I have also published 6 other books:
New Poems continues the style of my “Collected Poems 1982-2004”. The poems are about contemporary spiritual experience, written in classical metre, in the romantic tradition of English poetry. They include a series of odes and a sequence of short poems which give the collection its title.
The Beauty Of Psyche is a retelling of the Greek myth of Cupid and Psyche as a novel about imagination. The characters are played by actors, against a backdrop of paintings, models and sets. The story at times becomes a series of paintings and sculptures in an exhibition. And many of the references to people, films, theatre and other myths may or may not be imaginary too.
The Weight Of Light is a lyrical description of a woman’s inner life, a Frenchwoman living in London. The novel is set in the woman’s apartment, like a camera recording the poetry of her daily life, her meditations and spiritual experiences.
Collected Poems 1982-2004. The poems collected here are in the romantic tradition of English poetry and are written, almost all, in classical metre. They explore contemporary spiritual and psychotherapeutic experience.
Three Narrative Poems. These use classical blank verse and contemporary cinematic narrative techniques to tell their stories. White Russian is a lyrical description of a young Russian woman’s life in London. A Child Of God is a comic study of a New Age guru and his small band of devotees. A European Master is a debate about contemporary aesthetic values between a French actress and an East European film director.
Four Plays. The Temple Of The Goddess (1992) is a verse tragedy set in pre-classical Greece. A matriarchal bronze age state is invaded by a patriarchal iron age army. The Playwright (1993) is a drama about resurgent nationalism in post-communist Eastern Europe. Mornings In The Life Of A Theatre Critic (1993) is a London theatre comedy. The Valley Of Stones (1994) is a tragedy of survival and defiance in a refugee camp.
They are also all available from online bookstores. Previews and links on my website: www.andrewstaniland.co.uk