Being Alive edited by Neil Astley George Szirtes With trademark formality he runs

With trademark formality he runs his eye over an array of themes

of two goldfish left in an emptying house: touching and enchanting tales that combine bittersweet comedy with an unflinching account of human nature

the faraway friends

stir the mind and fire the spirit

"Beginning the Avocado" (1987)

Being Alive edited by Neil Astley George Szirtes With trademark formality he runsBeing Alive is the sequel to Neil Astleys Staying Alive, which became Britains most popular poetry book because it gave readers hundreds of thoughtful and passionate poems about living in the modern world. Now he has assembled this equally lively companion anthology for all those readers whove wanted more poems that touch the heart, stir the mind and fire the spirit. Being Alive is about being human: about love and loss, fear and longing, hurt and