On Trust

Overview

On Trust: A Book of Lies, James Womack's second collection of poems, is organised around the notion of telling the truth. Working against ideas of poetry as a vehicle for displaying individual truths or unprocessed confessions, these poems play hilariously, earnestly, undecidedly, with such simple identifications as the 'I' of a poem with the 'I' of the poet, offering us monologues which seem to be sincere, unvarnished accounts of things that have 'really' happened, but which twist and escape any absolute statements of identity. Serious questions of being and belonging, as well as frivolous themes such as the Marquis de Sade, Siberia, genitals, the Fates, and death, are picked up in play, prodded at, then put down in new and sparkling configurations.

Reviews

'James Womack is another bright young poet... [and] has scope, curiosity and a refreshing sense of not having foresuffered everything he encounters.' - Sean O'Brien, The Sunday Times 'Technically adept, self-consciously ironic, and provocative about the nature of art and the role of the artist... Often I felt as if I was being taken aside and told a joke that's ridiculously funny at the same time as being deadly serious. ' - Heidi Williamson, Eyewear Publishing 'In 'Vladimir Mayakovsky' and Other Poems the poet James Womack has put together the comprehensive selection of Mayakovsky's poems I have long been waiting for. His fresh translation allows English readers to appreciate the non-aligned and passionate personality of the Russian poet. I recommend a few lines twice a day to protect against dry academic writing.' - The Times Higher Education Best Books of 2016

Author Biography

James Womack was born in 1979. He studied Russian, English and translation at university, and after living in Madrid for a decade now works as an editor, teacher and freelance translator in Cambridge. He has translated widely, including self-help books, popular fiction, Latin American classics and poetry.