One Thousand Things Worth Knowing

Paul Muldoon can exasperate and enthral in the space of single poem. His ambition never falters, but his willingness to compromise diminishes steadily. Trust him and his One Thousand Things Worth Knowing, however, and you are repaid in full.

No one can do this kind of involved poetic narrative better than Muldoon. The connections made are apparently serendipitous, and all the more compelling for that. His technical and linguistic brilliance is probably second to none; the poems are the textual equivalent of a high-wire act, with juggling.

Paul Muldoon's new collection is a stylish volume. Its elegant layout echoes almost subliminally what we have come to expect from this master of the trickster elements within language.

One of the world’s most revered post-war poets . . . a mighty collection.