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The Girl Aquarium
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Format: Paperback / softback
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The Girl Aquarium
$4799
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Book Hero Magic created this recommendation. While it's new and still learning, it may not be perfect - your feedback is welcome! IS THIS YOUR NEXT READ?
This collection is ideal for readers interested in bold contemporary poetry that challenges societal norms, explores dark fairy tales, and examines themes of body, identity and spectacle. Fans of feminist literature, experimental verse, and arts & culture would find it compelling.
Jen Campbell is already a bestselling author of children's picture books as well as a popular books vlogger with a big following on YouTube. Her debut poetry collection The Girl Aquarium explores the realm of rotten fairy tales, the possession of body and the definition of beauty.
Jen Campbell was Vlogger in Residence for the Poetry Book Society, and was a judge of the Forward Prize in 2018. She talks about books and fairy tales at youtube.com/jenvcampbell.
Book Hero Magic formatted this description to make it easier to read. While it's new and
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Description
Jen Campbell's first collection, The Girl Aquarium, explores the realm of rotten fairy tales, the possession of body, and the definition of beauty.
Weaving between whispered science and circus, she turns a cracked mirror on society and asks who gets to control the twisted tales hiding in the wings.
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?
Praised for its originality and boldness, the collection has been described as "poetry of innocence and wonder, poetry of darkness and deformation" (Daljit Nagra). Reviewers highlight its daring exploration of girlhood through vivid, sometimes shocking imagery, blending themes of butchery, freak shows, and self-discovery (Melissa Lee-Houghton). Christopher Reid admires Campbell’s "boldness, close to wildness," and Elizabeth Macneal calls it a defiant, bold, brilliant work that "smashes" traditional tropes and reinvents the narrative surrounding disfigurement, spectacle, and exploitation.
Book Details
INFORMATION
ISBN: 9781780374499
Publisher: Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Format: Paperback / softback
Date Published: 25 April 2019
Country: United Kingdom
Imprint: Bloodaxe Books Ltd
Audience: General / adult
DIMENSIONS
Spine width: 7.0mm
Width: 138.0mm
Height: 216.0mm
Weight: 250g
Pages: 72
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About the Author
Jen Campbell grew up by the sea. She is a bestselling author and award-winning poet. Her most recent books include a short story collection, The Beginning of the World in the Middle of the Night, a series of children's picture books about a book-loving dragon called Franklin, and The Sister Who Ate Her Brothers (Thames & Hudson, 2021), a collection of gruesome tales illustrated by Adam de Souza. She won the Jane Martin Poetry Prize in 2013, received an Eric Gregory Award in 2016, is Vlogger in Residence for the Poetry Book Society, and was a judge of the Forward Prize in 2018. She talks about books, fairy tales and disfigurement at youtube.com/jenvcampbell. Her poetry pamphlet The Hungry Ghost Festival was published by The Rialto in 2012. Her first book-length collection, The Girl Aquarium, was published by Bloodaxe Books in 2019. It was shortlisted for the poetry category of the Books Are My Bag Readers Awards 2019 and was a semifinalist for the Goodreads Choice Awards 2019 (Best Poetry category). She lives in London.
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