The starting point of many of the pieces in this dazzling collection is a single body part belonging to a specific character, real or imaginary: e.g. ""Beethoven's Ear"", or ""The Tattooed Leg of Madame Vaekehu"". Others concentrate on a person in a particular occupation, from ""Sailmaker's Palm"" to ""Clergyman's Throat"". Sometimes, as in the case of ""Mad Hatter's Syndrome"", the focus is literally based on the illness; in others, such as ""Baker's Itch"", it is a metaphorical rather than literal aspect which is central. This is a daring, exciting, amusing, sometimes salacious, always lyrical, a peep show of poetry.
