Antrobus is leaping gracefully into new forms, punctuating sections with captions inspired by deaf sound artist Christine Sun Kim ... There are fine poems for his partner Tabitha providing warm relief alongside the loneliness of poems about race and disability ... One of Antrobus’s greatest gifts lies in the way he expresses loneliness with courage and humour so that a particular life can be understood, its urgent code concrete and pressing[.]
Antrobus’s poems are elegiac, often dwelling among the dead—always reaching for another world ... his poetry transcends speech, sound, silence, words—and what we are left with, when we close this astonishing book, is the vibration of the emotion on the blank page.
Identity, in all its complexities, is explored in this collection, with silence itself becoming a pillar in that construction ... Formally inventive, these pieces bring to the fore precise silences which so often fall between the gaps of reader recognition ... So much of All the Names Given is this unwrapping of necessary communications: it is a gift of realisations for the reader to explore and come back to again and again.
Antrobus is able to juxtapose the most troubling moments with vignettes of wonder and wisdom ... This is, to me, his greatest strength throughout the collection. Where many poets are able to create dynamic speakers in their work, Antrobus is decidedly ahead of the curve in developing the others in his poems. They are not reduced to function, but innately connected to Antrobus’ own experiences. Fans of Ilya Kaminsky are sure to appreciate Antrobus and see parallels in their approach to celebrating life. Both authors are expert at capturing the human condition through a lens of generosity and patience. Antrobus burst onto the scene with two incredible collections this year. Do yourself a favor and get a copy ... This is a poet you’re going to want to follow.
Traveling from England to the Caribbean to the United States, the poet unfurls many small, aching moments and explores his Deafness ... A fluidly written understanding of self, history, and oppression from a fast-rising poet.
... powerful ... Antrobus beautifully pays witness to the legacy of colonialism while providing another gripping meditation on language and communication.
