AN intriguing venture. Croft and two fellow North-East poets journeyed to Moscow, there to sample the city and, more particularly, its extensive Metro, the busiest in the world. Two perhaps slender links underpinned the Arts Council-backed project: 1, the Tyneside Metro, something of a contrast; 2, the improbable status of Jerome K.

Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat as a cult classic in Russia.

The result is a potpourri of poems, heavy and light, touching what their creators see as “the heart of a culture poised between retrenchment and convulsive change”. They add: “It’s a book about poetry, politics, propaganda, and railway plat forms. To say nothing of the dogs.” Canines run throughout. You’ll need to read the book to find out why.