Aldgedeslegh
‘Algedeslegh’ is the Saxon name for Audley, a small village in the North
West of Staffordshire.
The poems address the ever-present spectre of Death who, residing at
the parish bounds, readily accepts any invitation to visit, whether by
the call of Lust, the pursuit of Power, the drive for Profit or the
opportunity to renew acquaintance with his oldest friend.
The vocabulary and linguistic register shifts with each story, from the clotted proper names and nouns of the village’s Saxon origins to the local dialect used i n the last tale. The whole is both intricately woven and positively gem-like - think, for analogy, of King Alfred’s Jewel crossed with the Bayeux Tapestry!
The concept and construction are enhanced by a very strong graphic
and typographic element — the author’s striking linocut illustrations along with a header and footer line in red, the footer of each page repeated in the header of the next,
a variant and supplement to the metric pattern.
Bloor, in this slim volume, manages both to condense and write large
scenes from 1,000 years of this ‘quiet’ village’s history — a poetic feat and
absolute joy to read.
Catherine Burgass Lecturer in English Staffordshire University