"David Gilbert's first full-length collection displays an extraordinary scope and variety … Consistent throughout is his deftness of touch: he is a poet who knows how much to put in and to leave out; a poet who has clearly looked deep within himself … My enjoyment of this book is the constant awareness that I'm in the hands of a writer who has practised his art over many years."

Robert Vas Dias

The poems in this varied collection arise out of five main sources: memories of childhood and youth, evocation of patients in a psychiatric hospital, the stultifying nature of the office environment, the dying days of the poet’s father, and ordinary domestic events which take on a numinous significance

An extraordinary sequence that puts pressure on language to unsettle expectations and raise vital questions.

“This collection mingles the real and a surrealism of the understated Magritte kind to insinuate, with carefully modulated images and rhythms, a subtle disquiet that tests the boundaries of mental health and 'normal' apprehension”

Ian Gregson

To mark the 70th anniversary of the NHS, the Bethlem Gallery commissioned Writer-in-Residence, David Gilbert, and visual artist, Beth Hopkins to provide an artistic response to the theme of our national health service. In collaboration, they brought together a collection of art and words that express their personal reflections on this vast subject. They used the opportunity to reflect, and to encourage others to reflect on what care means to them, and the insights we can gain from sharing those perspectives.

ReCollections is available via The Bethlem Gallery or by contacting the author