Real Boys
Format:Paperback
Publisher:Birlinn General
Published:1st Aug '24
Should be back in stock very soon
A remarkable debut from a promising new poet.
In his debut collection, Real Boys, Thomas Stewart examines the death of his father and explores questions of grief, guilt, mental health, identity, sexuality and masculinity. As these poems unfold, a hallway of mirrors is created. Through the lens of father-son relationships, cinema, art and Welsh mythology are expanded and rethought. This collection grapples with what it means to be a father, a son and a self. Subverting the notions of gender, Stewart addresses both the damage of old stereotypes and the passage of generational trauma, questioning how we might change.
'A wonderful meditation on the language of grief, want, lust and hope' – Jenni Fagan
'A beautiful and wistful collection which wrangles with life’s ample grief and heartache' – Andrés N. Ordorica
'These poems are a revelation. I took great comfort from Thomas Stewart’s collection' – Lotte Jeffs
'A collection of intensely personal, often painful, but ultimately life-affirming poetry'
* SNACK Magazine, Ten Best Books of 2024 *'With Real Boys, Thomas Stewart has offered us a collection of intensely personal, often painful, but ultimately life-affirming poetry'
* The Skinny, 5 Stars *'A beautiful and wistful collection which wrangles with life’s ample grief and heartache. Stewart captures the delicate balance of queerness and masculinities, highlighting how we so often mythologise our fathers even when they have capacity to cause great anguish after death'
-- Andrés N. Ordorica, author of How We Named the Stars'A wonderful meditation on death, love, the language of grief, want, lust, and hope. Thomas Stewart’s poems show how barbs of strength emerge after plucking away all thorns, then allowing them to regrow'
-- Jenni FISBN: 9781846976674
Dimensions: 198mm x 129mm x 7mm
Weight: 107g
112 pages