In a Time of Distance – And Other Poems
ISBN:
9781846975622
Publisher:
Polygon
Publication Date:
1 October 2020
In a Time of Distance and Other Poems is Alexander McCall Smith’s first collection of poetry.
AS READ ON BBC RADIO 4, PM Programme. THE RESPONSE WAS IMMEDIATE AND WORLDWIDE
What really counts in this life? For the writer, Alexander McCall Smith, it is friendship and love – themes that crop up time and again in his novels. And it is these themes that he explores in this collection of poems.
In this book, divided into nine sections, the author takes you on a journey across the globe from Africa to Greece, London to Mumbai, and back home to Edinburgh. In a Time of Distance is a captivating celebration of place and people, but also of animals and books. Looking at the world through the lens of this writer it is a better, more humane place. Throughout these poems there are moments of swoop and soar, descriptions that will make you laugh and realign your view. In this collection, Alexander McCall Smith reminds us to look at the world differently, to stop once in while and look up at the sky.
This collection has a quiet and fragile beauty. The title poem reached 123,000 people when it was posted on social media in March 2020. It was also read on BBC Radio 4 and thereafter it appeared on blogs and websites across the world. It touched the hearts of all of those struggling to comprehend the bewildering situation in which the peoples of the world found themselves. You can read more about it here.
The book is illustrated by Iain McIntosh who has illustrated many of Alexander’s books, including the much-loved 44 Scotland Street series.
‘These words from Alexander McCall Smith touched my heart and soul’ – Activerain.com
‘Thoughtful and compelling’ – sparkpeople.com
And a haunting reading on Youtube
Reviews
‘A beautiful meditation… a wonderful book… these poems would make you love a writer whose optimism and grace gives you hope for the world, “its beauty revealed afresh”.’
Daily Mail
‘Wonderful. I commend [In a Time of Distance] heartily to you… a moment of hope. Thank you’
James Naughtie, 5 x 15
‘His poetic voice is conversational, companionable, friendly. A “maker of beautiful books,” he writes, “understands that text/ should whisper to us its message,/ Like a confiding friend,/Not in the trumpet tones/ Of the strident, the polemical/ But gently, tactfully/ In the private places of exchange/ Where the loud and the angry/ Have no wish to linger.” It is such books, books like this one, that in a time of strident and dishonest polemics readers should attend to with a feeling ear’
Allan Massie, Scotsman
‘The many admirers of the fiction of Alexander McCall Smith will be totally charmed by a book of poems he has produced. He reveals the same genial, quietly wise persona, whether offering gentle philosophy about life, writing about the seven hills of Edinburgh or running an elegant series of sonnets’
The Herald
‘A book to treasure and return to through the year (and across years)… many of the poems invite readers to slow down, to look, to see, to remember… all of them inspire reflection, and an empathetic urge to take-in the world through the eyes of others’
LoveReading.co.uk
‘This collection is a joyous affirmation of his infatuation with the form, delivered in his trademark, genial conversational style. [An] accessible and highly enjoyable collection – FIVE STARS’
Scottish Field magazine
‘Comforting and evocative, this collection of globe-trotting verse from the beloved creator of The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency combines a lyrical sense of place with heartwarming, wryly funny observations on love and friendship’
Waterstones
‘This inimitable writer shares his distinctively astute and good-natured observations on life, love, and beauty, reminding us of the deep satisfaction that can be found when we open ourselves up to the world with our whole heart, and watch as it takes on a kinder and gentler shape’
https://www.bookreporter.com/
‘His poetry collection, In A Time of Distance, offers further insights into the wisdom and humanity of his outlook on the world and his fellow mortals’
The Herald on Sunday
