{"product_id":"9780008261368","title":"The Uncertain Land and Other Poems","description":"\u003cp\u003e\n          \u003cstrong\u003eThe first ever collection of poems by the acclaimed author of the Aubrey\/Maturin series of Napoleonic naval adventures.\u003c\/strong\u003e\n        \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAs we have stood with Jack and Stephen on the deck of the Surprise and other ships, readers around the world have been transported to a place and time at once familiar and exotic, routine and dramatic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAt all times, Patrick O’Brian’s deep knowledge of the period and profound empathy with the landscape of the sea has ensured there is always a firm hand on the tiller. The writer’s command of language is combined with the poet’s eye for visual detail to remarkable, and unforgettable effect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn The Uncertain Land and Other Poems, those same strengths are vividly displayed as O’Brian leads us on a journey through his own life. Here, we see a writer full of a young man’s spirit, challenging life, and here an author reflecting an old man’s melancholy at youth gone; in between, as he describes the places that he lived and people that he encountered, are poems of sly observation, wry humour and delicate beauty.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThrough more than 100 poems, O’Brian reveals insights into the world that captivated him while he was at work on a succession of novels that would reach its apotheosis in the Aubrey\/Maturin adventures, which would secure his reputation as ‘the Homer of the Napoleonic Wars’. Intensely personal, allusive and unique, this is the work of a lifetime, published now for the very first time.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn The Uncertain Land and Other Poems, bestselling author Patrick O’Brian showcases his historical and literary expertise. His wry humour and sly observation, combined with his deep understanding of the Napoleonic era, make this collection a top pick for fans of short fiction and a testament to O’Brian’s status as a bestseller.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFor fans of Simon Scarrow (Eagles of the Empire I, II, and III), Iain Pears (The Dream Of Scipio), Antoine Vanner (Britannia's Guile), Robert Harris (V2), and Robert Holdstock (Mythago Wood).\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Patrick O’Brian, Foreword by Nikolai Tolstoy, Read by Seán Barrett","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46889229844629,"sku":"9780008261368","price":17.99,"currency_code":"AUD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0484\/3175\/9509\/files\/9780008261368_b4fd6ab4-5ec6-4178-8436-f4fc38ac970c.jpg?v=1776888531","url":"https:\/\/harpercollins.com.au\/products\/9780008261368","provider":"HarperCollins AU","version":"1.0","type":"link"}