@ Edinburgh International Book Festival, on Thu 20 Aug 2015 @ 19:15
Don Paterson is a poet, academic, editor, prose writer and jazz musician. Despite wearing different hats, it is obvious where his passion and heart lies. Paterson’s new poetry book is called 40 Sonnets. The title lets you know what form the poet is writing in, however the sonnets in this book vary in style and content and cover many diverse themes. 40 Sonnets is Don Paterson’s first book since Rain (winner of the Forward Prize for Poetry) and is the focus of attention at tonight’s reading at the Edinburgh International Book Festival.
The event is chaired by journalist, writer and editor Stuart Kelly. He has admiration Don Paterson’s latest book, stating “It is astonishing what 14 lines can be.” The poet begins the event by delighting the eager audience with a fifteen minute reading. Here Paterson emphasises the more comedic nature of the form by reading a selection that amuses the crowd and utilises the nature of the sonnet to deliver punchlines and jokes. Topics include Tony Blair and Dundee City Council. There are also touching moments of poignancy in the reading. The sonnet Funeral Prayer being an obvious standout for the deep emotional imagery and the measured delivery from Paterson.
After the reading Paterson and Kelly undertake a brief and informative conversation about the act of writing poetry. Paterson states that “The good thing about the sonnet is that it is short. Any longer and you start making things up.” The conclusion is that there is a liberation about writing poetry that follows a loose but traditional structure and this is an element of writing that Don Paterson embraces.