I Flying - Finuala Dowling

 I Flying, was awarded the Ingrid Jonker Prize.

Condition: Excellent

48 Pages, Paperback  21x14x0.6cm

Published in 2002 by Carapace Poets, it is the celebrated debut book by South African poet and novelist Finuala Dowling. The collection was a major success.

The book is celebrated for its distinctive style and accessible themes.

 

What it is About

The collection explores the tragi-comic nature of everyday life, blending sharp wit with deep vulnerability. It touches on highly relatable, deeply human stories, including:

Home and Domestic Life: The small, routine, and sometimes chaotic moments of keeping a household.

Parenthood and Family: The fierce love, anxieties, and absurdities that come with raising children and navigating family dynamics.   

Love and Loss: Moving, bittersweet reflections on romance, heartbreak, and the effort to stay emotionally whole.   

Desperation and Resilience: Facing life's darker or more overwhelming moments with a sense of fragile hope and humor.   

Dowling's writing is widely praised for being exceptionally accessible, engaging, and conversationalmaking it beloved even by readers who don't typically read poetry. Instead of being dense or overly academic, the poems feel like honest, deeply personal snapshots of a woman unapologetically embracing the full spectrum of being human.   

 

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