Breath of Time, The

Christine McNeill was born in Vienna and has published the poetry collections Kissing the Night (Bloodaxe), The Outsider, The Scent Gallery, First and Last Music, Still Life, Sehnsucht, as well as a translation of selected German poems Across a Sheet of Paper (all with Shoestring Press). She has translated Rilke’s poem cycle The Life of the Virgin Mary (Dedalus Press), and co-translated Rilke’s The Book of Hours (Agenda Editions).

On Still Life: “All is captured in an apparent stillness that has the dynamic on being there, a natura morta that is death in life, agonising but existing in all its yearning, a seeming immobility. ‘Final Image’ demonstrates very well McNeills ability to merge factual and abstract, tactile sensations and transcendence in her compelling lines.” – Carla Scarano, The London Grip Poetry Review

On Sehnsucht: “Her deft and highly sensory poem emulates the tonal changes in Mahler’s 3rd and provides a valuable creative locus for her exploration of yearning in the world.” – Stella Pye, Stand Magazine 

On The Scent Gallery: “Christine McNeill keeps form courteously in the background until the content forces you to realise just how delicate her touch has been …” – William Bedford, Agenda

On The Outsider: “This is eloquent poetry of witness, mainly to those who have lived through war or displacement in twentieth-century Europe … It faces evasions and handles complex stories and time line with fierce grace.” – Nancy Mattson, Critical Survey