Life Class by Glyn Hughes

Saturday, 22 August 2009

Glyn Hughes Life Class, a 5,000 line autobiographical poem absorbing two years of writing, will be published in October. Advance subscribers can obtain it for £10.50 (retail price, £12.50) by sending a cheque to Shoestring Press, 19 Devonshire Ave, Nottingham NG9 1BS. Names of subscribers will be listed in the book. Glyn has pointed out to the Hebden Bridge Web that this was how Philip Larkins first volume, The Less Deceived, was published. "As nobbut a boy, I subscribed and now possess the most valuable book in my pension fund."

"Much of the poem was written by ambling around Hebden Bridge, along the canal bank, or up to Heptonstall, which explains my glazed and uncomprehending look on meeting acquaintnces and friends. (Apologies for this.) Naturally, there is much in the verse about the Calder Valley where I have now spent the major part of my life."

"Why write such a lengthy poem? The long poem is the backbone of our poetic tradition. Almost (if not all) worthwhile poets have composed at least one. Why about oneself? Well, I hope it is more than that. "autobiographical" is something of a shorthand. It is about my lifelong relationship to the nature-muse (to get pomous about it.) Very Wordsworthian, I know. Also a working class relationship and (ahem) marriages. I am told it is a good read."

It is in an especially fine edition (subsidised by Sir Ernest Hall) ... first class design, quality acid-proof paper, stitched rather than glued: a collector's item.

See also

Glyn Hughes website

Poems by Glyn Hughes in the Hebweb Features section