Chapter 8, Sweeney Summary and Analysis

Thomas Lynch has a poet friend, Matthew Sweeney, who believes he is dying, but he has thought so since 1952. This was because his life had gone well, and he knew that if you love your life in the world, you will lose it. Matthew had written poems and had critical success; he lived in a wonderful part of London, close to emergency care and a variety of superb medical facilities, all in case something went wrong. Thomas had met him in 1989, during the launch of his fourth collection, Blue Shoes.

In London, Matthew is thought of as a charming hypochondriac. He has met with any doctor about everything and knows about every ailment, believing himself to have miraculously survived various diseases. Most are dismissive of him, but Thomas wonders whether he isn't a visionary.

Food had brought Sweeney to...