The Air’s Accomplices vividly evokes poet Brendan Galvin’s love for the rugged landscapes of Cape Cod and Ireland and their elusive inhabitants. Weaving themes of death, migration, and aging into an exploration of the natural world, Galvin’s work reflects a deep engagement with the places he and his family have called home, as well as with the triumphs and tragedies of human life.
The collection begins by examining the vagaries of age, as Galvin ponders his role as caretaker for his wife following her stroke. It then moves into remembrances of walks on the beaches of Cape Cod, encounters with land and sea animals, and observations of the Atlantic Ocean’s calm and violence. Other poems commemorate Galvin’s Irish heritage and the emigration of family and friends from Donegal to the suburbs of his native Massachusetts. Whether eulogizing a deceased pet or capturing the flight of a seabird, The Air’s Accomplices reveals a keen sense of observation and empathy for all living things.
Brendan Galvin is the author of eighteen poetry collections, including Habitat: New and Selected Poems, 1965–2005, a finalist for the National Book Award. His many other honors include a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Sotheby Prize of the Arvon Foundation, the Iowa Poetry Prize, Poetry’s Levinson Prize, and two fellowships from the National Endowment for the Arts. He lives in Truro, Massachusetts.
