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The Quiet Ear

An Investigation of Missing Sound
Brief Description
Raymond Antrobus was first diagnosed as deaf at the age of six. He discovered he had missing sounds - bird calls, whistles, kettles, alarms. Teachers thought he was slow and disruptive; some didn't believe he was deaf at all. The Quiet Ear tells the story of... Read More
Format: Paperback / softback
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A groundbreaking exploration of deafness by the award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus. A memoir. A cultural history. A call to action

Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! Description

Raymond Antrobus was first diagnosed as deaf at the age of six. He discovered he had missing sounds - bird calls, whistles, kettles, alarms. Teachers thought he was slow and disruptive; some didn't believe he was deaf at all.

The Quiet Ear tells the story of Raymond's upbringing at the intersection of race and disability. Growing up in East London to an English mother and Jamaican father, educated in both mainstream and deaf schooling systems, Raymond explores the shame of miscommunication, the joy of finding community, and shines a light on the decline of deaf education in Britain.

Throughout, Raymond sets his story alongside those of other D/deaf cultural figures - from painters to silent film stars, poets to performers - the inspiring models of D/deaf creativity he did not have growing up.

The Quiet Ear is a groundbreaking and much-needed examination of deafness. A memoir, a cultural history, a call to action.

Book Details

INFORMATION

ISBN: 9781399619677

Publisher: Orion Publishing Co

Format: Paperback / softback

Date Published: 28 August 2025

Country: United Kingdom

Imprint: Weidenfeld & Nicolson

Audience: General / adult, Tertiary education, Professional and scholarly

DIMENSIONS

Width: 135.0mm

Height: 216.0mm

Weight: 229g

Pages: 224

About the Author

Raymond Antrobus is the author of three poetry titles: The Perseverance, All The Names Given and Signs, Music; and two children's books: Can Bears Ski? And Terrible Horses. His work has won the Ted Hughes Award, the Somerset Maugham Award and the Sunday Times Young Writer of the Year Award, and his poems have been added to GCSE syllabi. In 2019 Raymond became the first ever poet to be awarded the Rathbones Folio Prize for best work of literature in any genre. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 2020 and appointed an MBE in 2021. The Quiet Ear is his first work of prose

Also by Raymond Antrobus

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  • Terrible Horses
    In an exciting collaboration between Raymond Antrobus and Ken Wilson-Max comes a truly authentic and stunningly evocative picture book on brother-sister dynamics and how creativity and storytelling can help resolve conflict and enable better understanding. My sister and me fight! Push Pull Hurt Hide. We would not use our words. This little boy does not get on with his sister....
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  • Can Bears Ski?
    The debut children's book from Ted Hughes award-winning poet Raymond Antrobus that tracks a father-and-son journey into the discovery and management of deafness. "This is a powerful and beautifully created book." - Able β€œThis multi-layered, skilfully woven story provides a brilliant insight into how children make sense of their experience when they don’t have the words to describe it.” -...
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