The End of an Era

Characterised by its warmth, wisdom and wit, Norah Hanson's poetry has earned her thousands of devoted readers, across every generation, over the past three decades. They will find a welcome dose of all three qualities in this volume of new verse; her fourth collection, and first for seven years, arriving just when the world needs it most.

With not a word wasted, the poet takes in the landmarks both of her native Hull and life itself, finding joy in the company of family and friends – but also in unhooking clasps, undoing buttons and donning pyjamas in an empty house (albeit one in which chores are never quite finished).

In one perfectly-staged scene after another, love and beauty rub shoulders with tragedy and loss, while eighty years of history – an "era" in the truest sense – happen all at once, childhood and retirement walking hand-in-hand together across the page.

This long-awaited publication, released – as with Norah's previous three collections – just before Christmas, is a true gift to the poetry-reading public; an unmissable tear-jerker to bring a year, and (perhaps) an era, to its end.