WHAT POETS NEED

225pp., paperback, Johannesburg, (2005) 2019

Poet John Carson lives in a crumbling seaside house with his sister and niece and writes feverishly to a married former lover who has maintained a correspondence with him.

South African poet and writer Finuala Dowling's books include the poetry collections I Flying (winner of the Ingrid Jonker Prize), Doo-wop Girls of the Universe (joint winner of the Sanlam Prize for poetry) and Notes from the Demetia Ward (winner of the Olive Schreiner Prize). Her novel Home-making for the Down-at-heart won the 2012 M-Net Prize and The Fetch won the 2016 Herman Charles Bosman prize for English fiction. She lives in Cape Town.