Transhumance

By David Batten

In the mountains of France the seasonal movement of livestock from one region to another acts as a metaphor for transition and transformation in the human the human world, whilst ‘humance’ relates us to the natural world; to the animals we rely on, to the seasons affecting our behaviours, our movements. And the seasons themselves are also in transition: behaving – often unpredictably – according to a cosmic order governed by strange powers: black holes, red/black/white dwarves, planets, stars. The tightly honed lyrical poetry of Transhumance follows a narrative arc that recognises that we are irrelevant in our minuteness and yet central to everything; without our interference things fall apart, yet sometimes our interference is what unravels things. Exploring how humanity is rooted in and linked to everywhere and everything, Batten brings a fresh voice and precise language to this reflective debut collection.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Cinnamon Press
• Release date: Oct 6, 2016
• ISBN: 9781910836446

David Batten

David Batten studied history and ideology at Hull College and Hull University, where he took his Master's degree, and also played back row for Hull & East Riding RFC, before rejoining family in Gwynedd, teaching at Coleg Meirion Dwyfor, then working in community development in North Wales. His debut collection Transhumance was published in 2016; a pamphlet, Storme Passage in 2017; followed by Untergang in 2018, and his most recent collection, Winterreis in 2021, all published by Cinnamon Press. David has also published the prose work, Rotterdam, part autobiography, part philosophical reflection. He now lives in the Aveyron in southern France.