Adam Aitken
ISBN 978-1-920882-46-4
paperback, 144 pp
Published April 2009
$24.00
Eighth Habitation takes its name from the Buddhist notion of purgatory, a mystic realm where the meaning of a human life is judged.
The poems inhabit a range of landscapes and perspectives, in Indonesia, Cambodia, Thailand, China and Australia, with an empathy and understanding that suggests a consciousness imbued with an Asian sensibility.
Blending the traditional, the cosmopolitan and the unexpected in their observation of detail, the poems register the dignity and resilience of a world recovering from personal tragedy and the trauma of history.
‘a lucid and finally lyrical voice, wholly original on the Australian scene’ - Michael Brennan
‘nuanced textures of meaning that pull you inside the words rather than merely to them … consistently remakes the language on the page’ - J.A. Wainwright
About the Author
Adam Aitken grew up in London, Thailand and Malaysia, before coming to Australia in 1968. His previous book, Romeo and Juliet in Subtitles, was shortlisted for the South Australian Festival Award for poetry and the Age Book of the Year Award. Eighth Habitation is his fourth collection.
