The Important Things

‘I blame Madonna’ is the arresting opening of one of the poems in Audrey Molloy’s remarkable and distinctive first collection, The Important Things,  available from The Gallery Press and good bookshops.

In an unusual display of different forms, the book resounds with echoes of other writers but is the work of a true original.

From ‘What We Learned at Loreto’ to ‘Lockdown Boogie’ it explores the surreal, the dreamt and the down-to-earth everyday in images laced with humour, science and sex. It chronicles the end of a marriage and the discovery of new love and renewed passion. ‘Know you tried’ concludes the book’s opening section.

Its second part comprises a sequence of poems that mourn her mother, savour memories and rue missed opportunities. The Important Things is a woman’s tale reported in feisty, sensual and beautiful poetry.

. . . know this: someone
        once looked upon your life
        and wished it were theirs.

Praise for The Important Things

In this striking, moving, bold debut, Audrey Molloy’s poems move between Ireland and Australia, parenthood and daughterhood, and the sensual worlds of the body, its attendant desires and intensities. Beyond these essential forces, The Important Things, in all its formal elegance, is a book of grief too. Its second part stuns with tenderness.”

– Stephen Sexton, Poetry Prize judge, 2022 Seamus Heaney Poetry Prize for a First collection

 

‘There is a rebellious, subtle wit in this collection, matched by the poet’s capacity for evocative and moving vulnerability. Molloy’s surprising, elegant poems explore intimacy, domesticity and grief, and as she navigates this complex terrain her voice remains assured, self-aware and charismatic. This mature and grounded voice, unafraid to expose the fragility and vulnerability that come with life’s experiences, is suffused with human warmth that connects with and engages the reader. Though a highly personal collection, we see ourselves reflected in the poems and bear testament to the adjacency of loss and grief with re-discovery of joy and pleasure.

In a strong field, this collection impresses in many ways, including its very pleasing use of language, image and analogy. In turns playful, measured and intimate, it demonstrates excellent control of cadence, meter and rhythm.’

– Ella Jeffery, Marjon Mossammaparast, and Marcella Polain, 2021 Anne Elder Award

Reviews and interviews

For Sydney stockists, try Gleebooks.

If you would like a review copy of The Important Things, please contact the publisher at: books [at] gallerypress [dot] com, or, for local copies in Australia, contact the author directly at: audreymmolloy [at] gmail [dot] com.