Chine

The eponymous chine is a memorable feature of the landscape of the Isle of Wight, where Mimi Khalvati grew up, and the first section of her book is a series of poems rooted in the landscapes and houses in which she has lived, a past coming into focus, refigured from memories elicited by language, passion and tragedy. The second part of "The Chine" includes a new sequence, "The Inwardness of Elephants", and concentrates on family themes. In the final part of the book Khalvati's wonderful lyrical skills, now playfully and now in earnest, explore the necessary connections between love in all its forms, and the art of making poetry. Khalvati has a well-trained eye; she is also formally most resourceful. She is never merely painterly or imagistic. Her poems engage her as a woman and they engage her world. "The Chine" includes poems commissioned for National Poetry Day and broadcast on BBC Radio 4, for the Salisbury Festival, and written in connection with her poetry residency at the Royal Mail.