Honey and Poison: Selected Poems

"Honey and Poison" is the first comprehensive selection in English of the poetry of one of Portugal's finest contemporary writers. Condensed and intimate, sometimes slyly secretive, these poems are measured by moments of revelation, love, wit and - most particularly - passion. They also have a captivating sense of history and place, reflecting the land and the emotions of a country that has moved from dictatorship to democracy over the past three decades. A Portuguese critic, reflecting on Tamen's place in the canon, recently observed that he writes "with a humour and expressiveness reminiscent of the greatest poets of Portuguese literature".