‘You thought you’d done.’ Against the Clock, a surprising and exciting development, brings together Derek Mahon’s recent work — that is, since New Collected Poems.

These new poems, some autobiographical, most written in the space of a year, concern themselves with age and time, ‘the mere fact of existence’ and the creative principle itself. One of the finest contemporary poets, the author here demonstrates once again an unfailing poetic energy — ‘still singing, still going strong.’