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'In this fourth major poetry collection, Claire Gaskin re-envisions the myth of Antigone by focusing on her sister Ismene. Assuming the voice of a contemporary Ismene, she asks us to consider what survivable resistance might look like for those who live on after tragedy? What kind of avenues are available to resist autocratic and patriarchal structures of power? How might we imagine a future that is different to our past and instigate real change at both a personal and public level?
'Ismene’s accommodation of and respect for difference is privileged in these poems, as is her credo of care in situations that seem overwhelmingly difficult or impossible: ‘remember those who love you love you still’. The poems identify and expose inner and outer silencing devices and refuse to be silenced. Powerfully evocative and cumulative in its reflective intensity, Ismene’s Survivable Resistance demonstrates how creative engagement can enable connections between the seemingly fragmentary and how poetic form not only provides a crucial means to hear those who have survived abuses of power but can also be the vehicle for change.'(Publication summary)
Publication Details of Only Known VersionEarliest 2 Known Versions of
Works about this Work
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Dreamy and Bold : Heather Taylor-Johnson Reviews ‘Ismene’s Survivable Resistance’ by Claire Gaskin
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , no. 33 2021;
— Review of Ismene's Survivable Resistance 2021 selected work poetry'In Sophocles’ play Antigone, the titular character is, inevitably, the star. Second up is Creon, Antigone’s uncle, who has decreed his nephew – Antigone’s brother – will not have a burial, and anyone who attempts to bury him will be killed. Next in line is Polynices, the dead brother who somehow, even in his complete absence, remains a primary character to the secondary Ismene, Antigone’s sister. Ismene is merely a prompt of dialogue in the opening scenes, speaking to inform plot and showcase Antigone’s righteousness. She’s a follower, full of uncertainty and, when tested, wish-washy. Antigone, in contrast, is steadfast and rogue, and she dies of these virtues – that and being buried alive for trying to bury her brother. It would seem Antigone’s resistance doesn’t do her any favours while Ismene’s gift for obeying is to live, so what is left of a secondary character when the primary one dies? Sophocles wrote many an Oedipus spin-off (and Antigone is one) but he did not write the play about Ismene. Claire Gaskin wrote the book.' (Introduction)
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Sheltered : Dominique Hecq Reviews Claire Gaskin’s Ismene’s Survivable Resistance
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , 5 5eptember no. 32 2021;
— Review of Ismene's Survivable Resistance 2021 selected work poetry Editor's note: This review is based on Dominique’s launch speech which was delivered virtually on 28 August 2021 as part of the Cherry Poets series of readings
-
Sheltered : Dominique Hecq Reviews Claire Gaskin’s Ismene’s Survivable Resistance
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , 5 5eptember no. 32 2021;
— Review of Ismene's Survivable Resistance 2021 selected work poetry Editor's note: This review is based on Dominique’s launch speech which was delivered virtually on 28 August 2021 as part of the Cherry Poets series of readings -
Dreamy and Bold : Heather Taylor-Johnson Reviews ‘Ismene’s Survivable Resistance’ by Claire Gaskin
2021
single work
review
— Appears in: Rochford Street Review , no. 33 2021;
— Review of Ismene's Survivable Resistance 2021 selected work poetry'In Sophocles’ play Antigone, the titular character is, inevitably, the star. Second up is Creon, Antigone’s uncle, who has decreed his nephew – Antigone’s brother – will not have a burial, and anyone who attempts to bury him will be killed. Next in line is Polynices, the dead brother who somehow, even in his complete absence, remains a primary character to the secondary Ismene, Antigone’s sister. Ismene is merely a prompt of dialogue in the opening scenes, speaking to inform plot and showcase Antigone’s righteousness. She’s a follower, full of uncertainty and, when tested, wish-washy. Antigone, in contrast, is steadfast and rogue, and she dies of these virtues – that and being buried alive for trying to bury her brother. It would seem Antigone’s resistance doesn’t do her any favours while Ismene’s gift for obeying is to live, so what is left of a secondary character when the primary one dies? Sophocles wrote many an Oedipus spin-off (and Antigone is one) but he did not write the play about Ismene. Claire Gaskin wrote the book.' (Introduction)
