YEAR ZERO (2020)

‘Year Zero’ is the latest poetic missive from the prolific pen of Johnny Monroe. Penned during the uniquely surreal period of national lockdown imposed by the UK Government to combat the Covid-19 coronavirus, some of the strange atmosphere that enveloped the country during that period is captured in the verse, though as social isolation is a prerequisite for a writer, the rest of society sampling the scribe’s lifestyle had little impact on the overall picture.

However, perhaps the traditional alienation of the author from his fellow man that suddenly became the norm of the many as opposed to the luxury of the few will render ‘Year Zero’ a prescient mirror upon a fractured world struggling to focus on the prizes it has been conditioned to strive for. Indeed, the reader need not be intimately aware of the poet’s personal history to relate to vignettes that speak to anyone detached and distanced from loved ones and confronted by an empty pot of gold at the end of the rainbow flag.

‘Year Zero’ offers a passionate, witty and melancholy snapshot on contemporary concerns as well as observations on timeless issues that are central to the human condition. It is a worthy addition to an expanding library of fascinating literature from one of our age’s most distinctive creative voices.