Don Paterson: Selected Poems is a collection that best showcases Paterson's skill as a poet, as he evokes a variety of sophisticated tastes in poetry. Filled with chaotic paradoxes and contradictions, the poems are as audacious as they are charming.
In "The Ferryman's Arms", Paterson pushes the boundary of poetry by challenging the reader's perception of what's possible. A man playing pool with his supposed double is already revolutionary enough, but he goes a step further by skillfully splitting their personality in perfect form. Just as you think you've grasped the nature of this strange world, you're thrust into a stranger world. One thing you realize in Paterson's poems is that nothing is what it seems.
One thing Paterson is passionate about, other than poetry, is challenging the societal order. In "The Trans-Siberian Express" he explores life beyond our waking reality. He is always driven to poke holes in the darkness, in search of a truth beyond our realm of understanding. In "Imperial" Paterson carefully dissects the patriarchal authority in a charismatic yet contemplative backdrop.
One of the more striking poem in the collection is "A Private Bottling" with its enhanced euphony and use of slang. The poem explores the culture of sampling whiskey varieties of such a damning and intoxicating manner. The collection is one of the most profound selection of accorded works.
