After the completion of Dear Life, his highly praised ninth collection
of poems, Dennis O'Driscoll kept his finished poems in a computer file
called 'Newest Poems', subtitled 'Since completion of Dear Life' and
'April 2011-'. This book reproduces its complete contents. The title we
have given it, from an outstanding poem, signifies one important aspect
of the collection: that it forms a substantial update to the body of his
published work. Despite the collection's provisional and unfinished
nature (since the poet surely hoped to add to it and prepare it for
publication), the 33 poems are ones which his many readers will want to
have. Darker even than much of Dear Life, they are full of his
inimitable humour, his searching eye, his characteristic wit and wisdom.