"In this collection Sabine Wichert subtly roots her adopted town of Belfast into her own background: her inheritance of 'The burning cities of Europe'. The poems span a lifetime of family, friends, and her own girlhood formed by the turmoil of 20th Century Europe. The image of rootedness is also present in her relationship to the Irish countryside: "Some to rescue only these roots". This collection is long overdue. Ms Wichert has been published extensively in journals over a number of years, and it is a boon that a talent of such width and imagination should at last reach a wider audience."
Leland Bardwell

Sabine Wichert was born in Graudenz, West Prussia (now Grudziadz, Poland) and grew up and was educated in West Germany. She has been teaching history at Queen's University, Belfast since 1971 and has a special interest in the visual arts. She was a member of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland from the mid-1980s to 1994 and is a member of the Board of Annaghmakerrig appointed by both Arts Councils in Ireland. Her 1999 collection of poetry, Sharing Darwin, was also published by Salmon.