Description
Book Synopsis*SHORTLISTED FOR THE T.S ELIOT PRIZE AND COSTA POETRY AWARD 2013*
''A stone is lobbed in ''84,
hangs like a star over Orgreave.
Welcome to Sheffield. Border-land,
our town of miracles...''
- ''Scab''
From the clash between striking miners and police to the delicate conflicts in personal relationships, Helen Mort''s stunning debut is marked by distance and division. Named for a street in Sheffield, this is a collection that cherishes specificity: the particularity of names; the reflections the world throws back at us; the precise moment of a realisation. Distinctive and assured, these poems show us how, at the site of conflict, a moment of reconciliation can be born.
Trade ReviewHelen Mort is among the brightest stars in the sparkling new constellation of young British poets -- Carol Ann Duffy
Outstanding…
There's a confidence and wit that's rare in a first book, but underlying it all is the bedrock of the north of England, its landscapes and stories.
These are poems of passion, risk, tenderness and power -- Michael Symmons Roberts, winner of the Forward Prize 2013
There’s been a buzz around Helen Mort for a while, and her debut,
Division Street, doesn’t disappoint -- Suzi Feay * Independent *
An excellent first poetry collection --
lucid, intelligent, politically aware, and loyal to the landscape that inspired it. -- Blake Morrison * Guardian Picks of the Year *
Mort is a fast-rising star of British poetry… marked by a
gritty urban lyricism and a
terrific rhythmic vitality * i *
A poet of exceptional talent, with a strong clear voice, a sure sense of metre and a poetic sensibility which has an unshakeable attachment to the real world. * Herald *
Although Helen Mort is just 28, it's surprising that
Division Street is her first full collection -- so frequently and impressively does her work appear in magazines and competitions...
It's a brilliant debut. -- Bill Greenwell * Independent *
A first class first full-length collection * Tribune *
Gritty, witty, stylish and totally memorable. Division Street is a book which has something important to say, addressing a wide range of topics with novelty and intelligence. * John Glenday *
The beauty of her debut collection is partly the sense that it has been written against the clock. Every poem is on the move... the style is satisfyingly Orwellian -- no long words where a shorter one would serve. Nor is she a poetic detective assisting with mysteries. She knows when to let be and let go. -- Kate Kellaway * Observer *
