Magnum Mysterium

By Julie O'Callaghan

Magnum Mysterium is Irish American poet Julie O’Callaghan’s first collection since Tell Me Normal: New & Selected Poems (2008). Her new poems have evolved from the early monologues – written in American demotic – to poems of heartache on the death of her husband, the poet Dennis O’Driscoll. But even in these harrowing poems she never loses her ear for the absurdities of modern life – including the grieving process where she can “see” her husband alive and doing what he loves. In Magnum Mysterium Julie O’Callaghan has continued writing poems which 'seem effortless and are immediately accessible and achieve great emotional weight by the lightest of means' (Michael Hartnett Award citation)

• Language: English
• Publisher: Bloodaxe Books
• Release date: Apr 30, 2020
• ISBN: 9781780375151

Julie O'Callaghan

Born in Chicago in 1954, Julie O'Callaghan has lived in Ireland since 1974. Her collections of poetry include Edible Anecdotes (Dolmen Press, 1983), a Poetry Book Society Recommendation; What's What (Bloodaxe Books, 1991), a Poetry Book Society Choice; No Can Do (Bloodaxe Books, 2000), a Poetry Book Society Recommendation; Tell Me This Is Normal: New & Selected Poems (Bloodaxe Books, 2008), a Poetry Book Society Recommendation; and Magnum Mysterium, is published by Bloodaxe in 2020. Her books of poetry for older children include Taking My Pen for a Walk (Orchard Books, 1988), Two Barks (Bloodaxe Books, 1998) and The Book of Whispers (Faber & Faber, 2006). She has received the Michael Hartnett Award for poetry and is a member of the Irish academy of arts, Aosdána.

Book preview

JULIE O’CALLAGHAN

MAGNUM MYSTERIUM

Magnum Mysterium is Irish American poet Julie O’Callaghan’s first collection since Tell Me This Is Normal: New & Selected Poems (2008).

Her new poems have evolved from the early monologues – written in American demotic – to poems of heartache on the death of her husband, the poet Dennis O’Driscoll. But even in these harrowing poems she never loses her ear for the absurdities of modern life – including the grieving process where she can see her husband alive and doing what he loves, as in ‘Cyber You’:

I need to see you

living and breathing.

I go to YouTube

and there you are being you

(the tiny you)

with the tie I bought you

for Christmas

sitting on a chair

on a stage in Santa Fe

asking Seamus questions.

Eternally.

In Magnum Mysterium Julie O’Callaghan has continued writing poems which ‘seem effortless and are immediately accessible and achieve great emotional weight by the lightest of means’

(Michael Hartnett Award citation).

Cover painting: The Loop (1988) by John Register (1939-1996)

OIL ON CANVAS, 50 x 70 ins COURTESY MODERNISM INC, SAN FRANCISCO

JULIE O’CALLAGHAN

Magnum

Mysterium

For Dennis

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Some of these poems were previously published in: The Irish Times, The Moth, The New Statesman, Poetry Ireland Review, Stony Thursday Book, and The Times Literary Supplement.

Thanks to the Irish Arts Council and Aosdána – the Irish academy of arts – for their generous support during the writing of these poems.

CONTENTS

Title Page

Dedication

Acknowledgements

Island Life

Sitting in a Cloud

Voyage

After Gulliver

MAXIMUM CAR WASH

Zen Christmas

Norman Rockwell’s Apples

Riddle

No Longer with Us

Horse Power

The Day

Floating World

Headlights

The Bridge-Tender I Didn’t Call Dad

News

Beside Me

Unfunny

Last 4th

Stay

Ship

Garden Daydream

Bruisers with Groceries

Ice Age

Seasonal Affective Disorder

Distant Memory

New Year’s Omens

Hidden

21st Century Pillow Book

Departure Drama

Mother