ARGONAUT BOOKS

Join us for a relaxed chat about a different poetry collection or poet each month. The poetry book club is for first time poetry readers and veteran poetry lovers alike; with no pressure to read aloud yourself if you would rather listen.

Our book this month is 'And Our Faces, My Heart, Brief As Photos' by John Berger

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The centenary edition, with a newly commissioned introduction by Simon McBurney. ‘Those who read or listen to our stories see everything as though through a lens. This lens is the secret of narration, and it is ground anew in every story, ground between the temporal and the timeless ...

In our brief mortal lives, we are grinders of these lenses'. When John Berger wrote this apparently unclassifiable book, it was to become a sensation, translated into nine languages and indelible from the minds of those who read it. This stunning work is a shoebox filled with delicate love letters containing poetry and thoughts on mortality, art, love and absence, capturing moments in time that hover above Berger's surprising landscapes.

From his lyrical description of the works of Caravaggio and profound explorations of death and immigration to the sight of some lilac at dusk in the mountains, this is a beautiful and most intimate response to the world around us.

FAQs

How long does each book club last?

Each book club is an hour and a half, ending around 8.30pm.

Do I have to finish reading the book before coming along?

Ideally, but no! If you can't, or don't want to, finish the book, we still want to hear your thoughts. We will however spoil every aspect of the book during discussion.