Selected from his three collections and various pamphlet publications, Larksong Static offers a first synopsis of Martin Malone's work so far. From his resounding alliances of memory and geography in The Waiting Hillside , through the complicated emotional landscape and fine-art sensibilities of Cur , to the brilliantly achieved cultural memory work of his Great War sequence, The Unreturning , this selection captures a poet staking serious claim for his significance to the contemporary scene. "Malone is a Romantic at heart, feeling the landscape, living the language, catching the drift." SIMON ARMITAGE Any attempt to forge a new nature poetry in the English lyric tradition is a bold undertaking, but Malone's sensibility and assurance make this possible. His voice is distinctive, his eye clear and sure, and his ability to change pace and direction in a poem makes his work elegant and surprising." MICHAEL SYMMONS ROBERTS