HUMAN ARCHAEOLOGY IBD

Sinopse

If there is a unifying theme running through &lsquo,Human Archaeology&rsquo, it is the relationship between Man and his history, memory, and how looking back at the past - at both its events and its artefacts - gives us the context for who we are.This reflection manifests itself in a number of ways. In poems such as &ldquo,Ripples&rdquo, or &ldquo,Beyond the Boundary&rdquo, we look back into history in a traditional, narrative way. Far from being idealised, however, experiences are never far from disappointment, especially when it comes to journeying - as in &ldquo,The Grand Tour&rdquo,, &ldquo,Exploration&rdquo,, or &ldquo,Northwest Passage&rdquo, - where we see reality jar with hope or expectation.If such viewpoints might be regarded as &lsquo,romantic&rsquo, then we shouldn&rsquo,t be surprised as there is romance in this volume too. However, this is also often unsatisfying because the outcomes are not ones of fulfilment (&ldquo,Rose&rdquo,), or have only generated disappointment or confusion (&ldquo,The Dissemblance of Rock&rdquo,), or are decidedly un-romantic (&ldquo,Standing in Doorways&rdquo,, &ldquo,Love-locked&rdquo,).That the two strands - history and romance - are linked also runs through many of the pieces, and nowhere more explicitly than in &ldquo,Abstraction&rdquo, which opens with &ldquo,Romance is an overlay on reality&rdquo,, and elsewhere is the assertion that what we view as &lsquo,history&rsquo, is simply a romantic interpretation of the past: &ldquo,a romantic myth born from a need to believe in something / and that what we have done matters&rdquo, (&ldquo,Mirage&rdquo,). More significantly perhaps, is the notion that true history cannot be known: &ldquo,True history resides in all the photographs / that were never taken, / beneath veneers never applied, / like a ghost silently pacing marble halls / sensed but unrecognised&rdquo, (&ldquo,Abstraction&rdquo,).Whether this undermines the thrust of the poems that focus on the fabric of history - perhaps most evident in the &ldquo,Archaeology&rdquo, poems themselves (I, II, III and IV) - is a moot point. Perhaps it serves only to highlight just how difficult and complex the relationship between us and our history actually is.That real conflict is an ever-present in our past - and in personal lives - is echoed too in poems such as &ldquo,Days of Tea and Backgammon&rdquo,, &ldquo,Reading the Runes&rdquo,, and &ldquo,War Artist&rdquo,, and where there is such conflict there will always be a fight for justice and liberty. In some respects, the poet - whilst keeping a safe distance from much of the debate, acting primarily as overseer and interpreter - is as much a rebel as those who appear in pieces such as &ldquo,The Revolutionary&rdquo,, &ldquo,Assassination&rdquo, or &ldquo,Uprising&rdquo,. And perhaps sharing some of their ideals, in one or two instances - most noticeably &ldquo,The Permanence of Shrapnel&rdquo, and &ldquo,Camouflage&rdquo, - the author lets his guard down in a