In this masterful first book of original poems, Iain Galbraith explores how people’s actions and experiences shape not only their own lives but the world around them. His poems are full of sharp observations and a level of detail which ground the reader in whichever world he presents, and while the settings vary from the mundane to the epic the language never fails to retain a sense of the fantastical. Through his words Galbraith is able to to take us on an emotional journey through love, grief, hope and discontent. After years of experience writing and translating poetry, The True Height of the Ear acts as evidence of Galbraith’s comfort in writing in a variety of different styles, creating a book of poems which consistently entice his readers.

Iain Galbraith lived in Scotland for much of his life before moving to Germany, where he still lives. He has edited five poetry anthologies and is highly respected as a translator of both literary works and poems, for which he has won multiple awards, such as the John Dryden Translation Prize in 2004, the Stephen Spender Prize for Translation in 2014 and the Popescu European Poetry Translation Prize in 2015. His own poetry has been featured in publications such as The Edinburgh Review and The Times Literary Supplement. He has translated works both to and from English, and has conducted research and lectures on poetry at the University of Edinburgh and the University of the Applied Arts in Vienna, respectively.