Let Them Eat Chaos
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Let Them Eat Chaos
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See moreKae Tempest's long poem Let Them Eat Chaos, takes a hard look at contemporary life as Londoners living on the same street are forced to meet and connect.
Kae Tempest's long poem Let Them Eat Chaos, takes a hard look at contemporary life as Londoners living on the same street are forced to meet and connect.
SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2017 MERCURY MUSIC PRIZE
Let Them Eat Chaos, Kae Tempest's new long poem written for live performance and heard on the album release of the same name, is both a powerful sermon and a moving play for voices. Seven neighbours inhabit the same London street, but are all unknown to each other. The clock freezes in the small hours, and, one by one, we see directly into their lives: lives that are damaged, disenfranchised, lonely, broken, addicted, and all, apparently, without hope.
Then a great storm breaks over London, and brings them out into the night to face each other - and their last chance to connect. Tempest argues that our alienation from one another has bred a terrible indifference to our own fate, but they counter this with a plea to challenge the forces of greed which have conspired to divide us, and mend the broken home of our own planet while we still have time.
Let Them Eat Chaos is a cri de coeur and a call to action, and, both on the page and in Tempest's electric performance, one of the most powerful poetic statements of the year.
Book Hero Magic summarised reviews for this book. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! HOW HAS THIS BEEN REVIEWED?
Critics praise Kae Tempest's work for its distinctive voice and urgent message. Alexis Petridis of The Guardian notes Tempest's confident mastery as a performance poet, while Jeanette Winterson describes Let Them Eat Chaos as a powerful antidote to contemporary political turmoil, blending genres and emotions with striking effect.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781509830008
Publisher: Pan Macmillan
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 06 October 2016
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Picador
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 8.0mm
Width: 153.0mm
Height: 197.0mm
Weight: 132g
Pages: 80
About the Author
Kae Tempest was born in London in 1985. Their work includes the plays Wasted, Glasshouse and Hopelessly Devoted; the poetry collections Everything Speaks in its Own Way and Hold Your Own; the albums Everybody Down, Balance and Let Them Eat Chaos; the long poems Brand New Ancients and Let Them Eat Chaos; and their debut novel, The Bricks that Built the Houses. They were nominated for the Mercury Music Prize for their debut album, Everybody Down, and received the Ted Hughes Award and a Herald Angel Award for Brand New Ancients. Kae was also named a Next Generation poet in 2014.
Also by Kae Tempest
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