My Darling from the Lions

By: Rachel Long

Narrated by: Rachel Long

Rachel Long’s much anticipated debut collection of poems, My Darling from the Lions, announces the arrival of a thrilling new presence in poetry.

Each poem has a vivid story to tell - of family quirks, the perils of dating, the grip of religion or sexual awakening - stories that are, by turn, emotionally insightful, politically conscious, wise, funny and outrageous.

Long reveals herself as a razor-sharp and original voice on the issues of sexual politics and cultural inheritance that polarise our current moment. But it's her refreshing commitment to the power of the individual poem that will leave the listener gripped every minute: here is an immediate, wide-awake poetry that entertains royally, without sacrificing a note of its urgency or remarkable skill.

This is a blazing debut that you will want to share with others.

2020, Costa Poetry Award, Short-listed

©2020 Rachel Long (P)2020 Macmillan Publishers International Ltd

Critic reviews

I loved reading these poems. They are immediate, accessible and necessary, but also joyful, witty and elegant. They tell stories we so much need to hear. (Kate Clanchy, author of Newborn)