Anonymous, passing back
Into the Live Register
Of Ireland, I'm home again
On the beaten track --
A man . . .
                    from Early Days


The nucleus of this collection, the author's third, won the Irish Distillers/Patrick Kavanagh Award in 1981.

These clear, vital poems constitute a study of the subversion of identity and values in a world of total politics.

From Europe and Indo-China (where the author has worked) and in Ireland itself, the book explores the anonymity of those completely withdrawn from affairs of state as well as those completely involved in historical processes. Comparative Lives confirmed the emergence of an important voice in Irish writing.