Before I went off to Madagascar I had been working hard on Alec Finlay’s book, so when I came back it didn’t take too long to finalise it and send it off to the printers. I collected it from Levenmouth on Monday, and it’s now available from the Calder Wood Press website at £5 plus postage. Alec is launching it at the Ingleby Gallery, Calton Road, Edinburgh at 12 noon on Saturday 17th March, and I’m launching it at the StAnza Festival’s Poets Market in St Andrews at the same date and time.
The cover photograph, by Bob Anderson, shows the young Alec with his father, Ian Hamilton Finlay, in their garden at Stonypath, Lanarkshire. The basket Ian is leaning over contains toy boats for sailing on ‘Lochan Eck’.
Alec’s book is a delightful series of poetic memories of growing up with his parents and sister. He and I have been friends for years, so when he asked me last year if I’d like to publish this book, I immediately said yes. I’m very pleased with it, and it was great to work with Eck at all stages of the preparation.
Lochan Eck
I miss the skimming
swallows
over the dark lochan
the waters where I swam
eye-to-eye
with the blue dragonfly
Copyright © Alec Finlay 2012
Marvellous haikus. Great impact.