'Imbues the everyday, the tarnished and burnished, with the possibilities of the transcendent' Guardian
Jackself is the fourth collection from one of Britain's finest poets. In one of the most unusual books of poetry to appear in years, Jackself describes a rural upbringing in Cumbria in the language of English folklore. The story of Jackself is threaded with nursery rhymes, riddles and cautionary tales, and told through the many 'Jacks' of English legend, phrase and fable: Everyman Jacks and no-one Jacks, Jack Frost and Jack-O-Lantern, Cheapjacks and Jackdaws. At once playful and terrifying, song-like and narratively compelling, Jackself is an unforgettable and disturbing tale of an innocence and childhood lost in the darker corners of Reiver country. It also confirms Jacob Polley as one of the most singular imaginations at work in poetry today.