Romney Duffey.

The wonders of life presented in poetry

Romney Duffey is an alumnus with a varied and rich background in Physics. As a physicist and experienced academic in risk management he has written hundreds of papers, articles and books on the subjects, yet he recently published something completely different: a collection of poems and images.

His new book, Dreams of Life, is a collage of life lessons that draw from the story of everyday life. Complemented with illustrations and photographs by his friend Mickey Merrell, Romney (B.Sc. Hons Physics, Ph.D. Physics/Geophysics) says he sought to present his wonder of life through the medium of poetry.

Covering subjects from business to travel and love, his book is mostly inspired by personal experiences. His son Julian notes how his father writes poetry after almost every event in his life.

Romney’s two passions, physics and poetry, might seem at odds but he sees the two fields as having a lot in common. “Science is a description of the world around us,” he says. “What else is poetry? To me, they’re both about new ideas, new thoughts, and trying to get those down so others can see them and read them and enjoy them.”

Although he has spent a lifetime in other fields, Romney hopes it is his poetry that will leave a lasting impression on people. “I put down my life experiences into a book for others to enjoy and be touched by… If they are touched by it, I couldn’t ask for more.”

Dreams of Life is available from Amazon and several other online retailers.

Date: 24 June 2014