New Releases by Douglas Dunn

The stories in Boyfriends and Girlfriends are set mainly in Scotland and show an unprejudiced eye for characters and their foibles at all levels of society. ''A true short-story writer, and one with a range that makes it possible to read the entire collection without wearying of the same voice or the same thoughts . . . The reader is beguiled.'' Daily Telegraph

Terza rima, the form which Douglas Dunn calls 'Dante's drum-kit', supplies him with the structure for his own meditation on the afterlife, 'Disenchantments'. Other poems in this book are evidence of the author's dazzling technical adroitness, which is matched, furthermore, by the ambitious range of themes he addresses. High seriousness and high jinks are equally at his command, and readers will welcome a collection which shows the poet of Elegies and Northlight performing with undiminished energy and stylishness.

The author speaks out against the introduction of the Community Charge or Poll Tax into both Scotland and the rest of Britain, arguing that it is not only unfair, but also anachronistic and inefficient. He draws his information from what is currently happening in Scotland.

A model for personal and community advancement demonstrated through the allegory of a fantasy parable. When a successful business person from our world stumbles into an exotic, subterranean civilization, long hidden from the Outside world, he is exposed to new ways of thinking and feeling, but also exposes others to a world of harsh and cruel violence. The Outside world is rich in technological wonders but is plagued by violent terror and social injustice, while the Cave People of Enrisa thrive in an advanced, harmonious social order of cheerful, happy "compassionate joy" that is industrially primitive. When the world is turned inside out, and the cave people of Enrisa come face to face with the Outside world, both cultures are confronted with strange new wonders!

Poems explore the author''s relationship with his wife and portray his grief after her death

Europa''s Lover is a new long poem celebrating Europe and European culture. In the poem Europa is the mother of Europe, its daughters, wife, sisters, nieces, lover and companion. ''She is also her own mother, daughters, wife, etc,'' writes Douglas Dunn. ''If this sounds a lunatic faith in femininity, then so be it. I''ve seen her in dreams and felt her to be present in places which are sacred to me. What happens in the poem is that Europa invites a young man to join her. He does so; he meditates, makes speeches, and she talks to him. Otherwise the poem is about Things in General. It embodies a certain respect for the values of the West, in spite of its terrors, mistakes, humiliations and decline.''