Shot through with his trademark humour, ‘Trying Conclusions’ is the fourteenth collection of poems from the lauded writer. Containing twenty-three poems, the topics vary wildly, from short verses on waiting rooms and fast cars to longer musings on his family, war, and the US Congress. Nemerov’s sense of the satirical is best seen in shorter offerings, where he takes a literary look at life from the other end of the telescope. A superb introduction to the works of one of the 20th Century’s most subversive scribes. Howard Nemerov (1920 – 1991) was an American novelist and poet, who won the Pulitzer Prize in 1978. His novels are characterised by the use of self-deprecating wit and an ongoing sense of irony. While his books tended to satirise 20th Century American life, his poems often focussed on the beauty and innocence of nature. In addition, Nemerov also worked as a scriptwriter, most notably on the film, ‘Tall Story,’ starring Anthony Perkins and Jane Fonda.