Everything is connected. So, to understand anything one must understand everything. And so, when a 69-yearold man decides to comprehend the minutiae of an ordinary day it is necessary for him to understand his life also, which in turn entails understanding the history of the universe, though only from the Big Bang on.
Michael Foley weaves together these three strands in the story of a transformation from youthful despising through mid-life failure to affirming age. The poem draws on history, philosophy, science, quest sagas, the film Shane and much else, addressing the perennial issues of time, mortality, love and the search for meaning, while also refreshing everyday experiences such as making coffee, supermarket shopping and the major adventures of sharpening a pencil and chopping carrots. By turns lyrical, aphoristic, erotic and witty, The Whole Thing drives forward with characteristic energy and exuberance
‘What an extraordinary outburst – latter-day Lucretius – post-Brexit Pythagoras – Anaximenes’ Annex! Bewildered and enlightened I have been diving in and out of The Whole Thing – swept along by its momentum and refreshing myself at the arias that punctuate the swinging recitative – lyrical oases. There are many lovely lines throughout and stanzas submerged like rocks in the rapids … a brilliant writer.’
– Michael Longley
‘The Whole Thing is the kind of ambitious, rigorous, playful and deeply intelligent and wide-ranging work that publishers hestitate to publish, often finding it hard to think beyond competition length. So it was a real discovery, and I see that it is a rich source of pleasure and stimulation, intellectual, spiritual (a combination of the two) – and the rest, integrated.’
– Steve Griffiths
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