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‘It’s a book whose cast of characters is [. . .] various – especially in the first of its three sections, any one of which would make a coherent pamphlet in its own right.’
‘Matthew Paul [is] a thorough-going people poet’
‘It’s interesting [. . .] how well the language flows’
‘[. . .] typically accomplished flourishes’
Jane Routh, for The Friday Poem – read the full review here.
‘All these poems are admirably crafted’
‘The Last Corinthians is an enjoyable and skilled collection [. . .] which should invite considered and deeper engagement from the reader. I liked the way it was divided into sections which each had a slightly differing poetic and conceptual focus, and I found the whole book refreshing’
Rowena Somerville, for The High Window – read the full review here.
Matthew Paul is adept at finding these words. They make his poems, individually and as a collection, into little, subtle nostalgia machines, and just one word will trigger a whole series of subdued memories.
Philip Rush – read the full review here.
Matthew Paul hails from South London, lives in South Yorkshire and worked for many years in local authority children’s services. His first collection, The Evening Entertainment , was published by Eyewear in 2017. His haiku books,The Regulars (2006) and The Lammas Lands
(2015) and co-written/edited (with John Barlow) anthology Wing Beats
(2008), were published by Snapshot Press. His reviews and essays regularly appear in journals. He has contributed to the Guardian’s ‘Country Diary’ column.
Clare Pollard called the poems in Matthew Paul’s debut ‘delightful’ and ‘dazzling’. This new collection veers psychedelically through history, pausing for quieter moments. Its themes include: art; class; sexuality; childhood and youth; work; fauna and flora; domesticity; gardening; end of life; and, above all, the ghosts which insist on interrupting thought.
‘Matthew Paul has a painter’s eye for colour and vivid detail. The poems in The Last Corinthians are fiercely attentive to detail, exquisitely wrought and often hilarious. This is an expansive, open-hearted and tender collection populated by characters who settle in and stay in the memory. This is wonderful writing.’ – Vanessa Lampert
‘There’s an exhilarating range of work in this collection and whether writing about the Guildford bombings, Mike Yarwood, the UK’s first roadhouse–nightclub at the southern end of the Kingston by-pass, or the birth of his child, Matthew Paul writes with an unflinching clarity, an attentiveness to language and a sureness of touch that makes The Last Corinthians a sheer pleasure to read.’ – Cliff Yates
‘Matthew Paul turns his prodigious talents to excavate the stories of people who have made up the fabric of this country. Paul’s skills as a poet – his precise use of words and images; his deft syntax and phrasing – combine with his meticulous care as an archivist to allow the voices from our collective past to sing. A necessary book for our times, this collection is a poignant record of those who have slipped into the shadows of history.’ – Shash Trevett
Crooked Spire Press 