The bed of memory

Shortlisted for the 2002 Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year Award.

These poems are informed by layers of memory, but never weighed down by them. Newcomers will appreciate the accessible style and the universal themes touched upon while even those familiar with her work will find Earle’s fresh insight surprising and enlightening. Amongst the most moving poems is a series of elegies to her late husband, in which the process of grief seems to have, paradoxically, unleashed new life and vigour.

Jean Earle (1909-2002) lived in Wales for most of her 92 years. Her last collection, The Bed of Memory, was shortlisted for the 2002 Arts Council of Wales Book of the Year Award. Visiting Light (1987) and Selected Poems (1990) were a Poetry Book Society Choice and Recommendation respectively.