Villon in Millerton is an impressive collection, the sixth by Christchurch-based poet James Norcliffe, which presents vivid lyrics anchored by three sequences. 

The title sequence imagines a fifteenth-century French poet, Francois Villon, fetching up in the isolated and deserted West Coast town of Millerton; another sequence brilliantly evokes the mysteries of the Indian rope trick; while a concluding group focuses on the contradictory character of the nineteenth-century missionary Samuel Marsden. 

The range of subjects – from the red admiral butterfly to the attack on Baghdad – and tones – from meditation to satire – along with the poet’s acute ear and sharp eye make this book always unexpected and illuminating.

Author

More about James Norcliffe 

Reviews

Norcliffe is full of delightful surprises and striking imagery. – Peter Dornauf, Waikato Times