It's such a pleasure to be invited to say a few words about Cretan Whispers – a fine collection of lyric poems by Jane Sharp. Cretan Whispers recounts the poet's love affair with a place – in this case the island of Crete where Jane herself lived - and evokes a whole range of emotions in the reader, ranging from deep-seated passion to sadness and regret. The language is colourful and expressive, the tone exuberant and intoxicating, and the formal variety impressive. Drawing on her own experiences, the distinctiveness of the landscape, and the character of the people, she draws the reader into her own perceptions of the place, recreating through word, sound, and image, the distinctive atmosphere of the Island which she perceives as a self-contained entity, an exotic location where poems are allowed to happen. And the poems have certainly flowed. This is a collection in the fullest sense in that the poems explore a fully-lived experience, finding a way to articulate emotions and ideas common to all of us and yet specific to the poet's relationship to a place. The poems are always exuberant, always written with an eye for colour and an ear for the rhythms of common speech. I have no hesitation in recommending Cretan Whispers. Like the poet herself we finish this outstanding collection with a taste of Cretan music on our lips'.
Ian Parks
