Zhou

What Writers and Critics Think

• Nick On’s poems seemed able to use the short line as a line with real skill. That the subject-matter was engaging and there was humour in the atmosphere the poems breathed was also heartening, but mainly it was the sense of line and form On coaxed out of his material that attracted me.

  Michael Schmidt

• [On's] mandate is to reconstruct an image of his immediate ancestors from the broken shards of histories both recent and ancient. That his origins are Chinese colours his way of seeing; his rendering of the early sections of 'Zhou' remains faithful to the impressionistic lyricism of a history imperfectly understood, but beautifully-realised from On’s wide knowledge both of China’s past, and of its cultural and artistic temperament. The word "Zhou" refers to a medieval dynasty, as it is also the tenth most common surname in China, and On’s narrative – there is continuity throughout – is effected in the pastel shades of China’s cultural heritage, whose vigour is felt in every metaphor and every figure.

  The Yorkshire Times

• These poems show striking ambition and accomplishment.

  The Poetry School