District Commissioner's Dreams

Woods Gregory

"The District Commissioner's Dreams" is an integrated collection in which Gregory Woods returns to the themes of obsession, possession and violence. In its explorations of masculinity, the opening section draws on struggles for power in ancient and more recent history. These poems dissect men's vanities and desires in ways which expose the personal facets of heroism and atrocity. In the pivotal central section, Woods returns to a colonial childhood and the roots of his own development as a writer. The third section then combines personal reminiscences with a sceptical re-examination of sexual liberation.

About the Author

Gregory Woods was born in Cairo in 1953 and spent his early years in Ghana. He came to Britain in 1962 and studied at the University of East Anglia. He has taught in Italy, London, and Nottingham.

Reviews

"In poetry I was very impressed by the technical resourcefulness and emotional range of Gregory Woods's The District Commissioner's Dreams" – Adam Mars-Jones, The Observer, books of the year 2002

"By turns witty and coolly ironic, authoritative, sensuous and impassioned. The District Commissioner's Dreams marks an already accomplished poet varying his voice and extending his thematic range. As reviewers say: I urge you to buy it. Prepare to be impressed" – Robert Hamberger, County Lit (Winter 2002-2003)

"Woods' tonal range allows him to employ a number of different voices in a variety of forms: sequences of mythology appear side by side with lyrics of terse couplets. This is poetry with a decided edge" – Michael Thomas, Other Poetry (Summer 2003)

"I suppose a Professor of Gay and Lesbian Studies has a professional obligation to write about these areas, but I'd have welcomed a few poems about trees or fly-fishing" – John Greening, London Magazine

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