"New Poems and Two Celtic Dramas" is the author's new departure collection of poems combined with the text of two poetic Celtic dramas, one broadcast on the ABC in Australia, the other a closet drama. In a variety of styles "New Poems" treats of a variety of subjects in especially religion and politics. The dramas explore important but so far unperformed areas of Welsh and Irish myth, the Second Branch of the Welsh Mabinogion, with its legend of Branwyn and Irish myths of the love god Oengus. Rollan McCleary is of dual Irish and Australian nationalities, a doctor of religious studies from...

In the mini-epic "Raphael and Lucifer," the Prince of Air descends to the lower hells to teach his minions how to launch a great deceit upon a sophisticated but unsuspecting humanity. The foreseeing archangel Raphael explains and reveals what this will be, but will his warnings be heeded? In the rest of this collection aspects of contemporary society and religion are observed from a visionary and often satirical standpoint. While the material is relevant to current issues, there are conscious echoes of themes and styles within English language literature from Milton onwards through the...