John Burnside

John Burnside recalls the failed relationship with his father, in the first of his trilogy of exquisite memoirs - with a new introduction by Megan Nolan. A Lie About My Father is a beautifully written evocation of a lost and damaged world of childhood and the constants of his father's world — men defined by the drink they could take...

I Put a Spell on You is the last of John Burnside's three memoirs, an enthralling ode to love and wonder in all its forms, featuring a new introduction by Sean Hewitt. John Burnside first heard the song 'I Put a Spell on You' and was immediately captivated. The song's enchantment and fascination soon turned to obsession, offering intrigue through...

John Burnside's last collection of new poems gathers around a single theme—mortality—to create a powerfully moving exploration of memory, forgetting, and the seven ages. 'A master of language' HILARY MANTEL John Burnside's last collection of new poems gathers around a single theme—mortality—and draws on his faltering health and earlier glances with death, creating a powerfully moving exploration of memory, forgetting,...

With wit, precision and grace, John Burnside's second memoir traces the aftershocks of a troubled childhood into troubled adulthood. With a new introduction by Sarah Perry. 'Among the best writers of his generation, fully voiced and perfectly pitched' – Andrew O'Hagan In the early 80s, after a decade of drug abuse and borderline mental illness, John Burnside resolved to escape...

Financial Times Book of the Year Though we might not realise it, our collective memory of the twentieth century was defined by the poets who lived and wrote in it. At every significant turning point, we find them, pen in hand, fingers poised at the typewriter, ready to distil the essence of the moment, from the muddy wastes of the...

A remarkable new collection exploring ageing, mortality and environmental destruction from our finest Scottish lyric poet. WINNER OF THE DAVID COHEN PRIZE FOR LITERATURE 2023 'By far the best British poet alive' SPECTATOR 'A master of language' HILARY MANTEL In this powerful, moving book, John Burnside takes his cue from Schiller, who recognised that, as one thing fades, so another...