Robin Robertson: Swithering [2006] paperback

WINNER OF THE 2006 FORWARD PRIZE

In Scots, the verb 'swither' has two meanings: to be doubtful, to waver, to be in two minds; and to appear in shifting forms - indeterminate and volatile. From disarmingly direct poems about the end of childhood to erotically charged lyrics about the ends of desire, Robertson's powerful third collection is stalked and haunted by both senses. Hard-edged, pitch-perfect, effortlessly various, Swithering is a book of brave and black romance, locating its voice in that space where great change is an ever-present possibility.

Swithering has just won the Forward Prize for Best Collection and is also shortlisted for this year's T.S. Eliot Prize.