Renewal by Irvin Desir

Renewal

Poems by Irvin Desir

Introduction by Vladimir Lucien

"Renewal is poetry of rare gifts. It unfurls as hymn and closes as folklore, both personal and transcendent. Desir’s diamantine lines, marked with the sensual largesse of nature and the surreal, extend the poetry of a Saint Lucia belonging at once to no one and everyone, one ‘of shades and shadows’.”

Canisia Lubrin, poet and winner of the Carol Shields Award for fiction, 2025, for Code Noir

Cost: £12.99
Publish Date: January 2026
Format: Paperback
Ebook: Yes
Pages 44
ISBN: 978191965004
Category: Poetry
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About the Book

Much admired by the St Lucian Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, the poetry of his fellow islander Irvin Desir (1954-2024) was little known in his lifetime. This posthumous collection is a revelation. 

About the Author

Irvin Desir was born in Saint Lucia in 1954, the fourth of five children. He was educated at the island’s St Mary’s College. He lived most of life on his home island apart from time spent in Martinique and Barbados. He died in Castries, Saint Lucia, in 2024.

Reviews

Bringing Irvin Desir's poetry back into light is like revealing a hidden gem that never knew its own brilliance. This edition is a great service to St Lucian literary history. "

– Alison Donnell, Author of Lost and Found

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