House of Bees announces the arrival of a brilliant and unique voice into the realm of contemporary Irish poetry.
A beautiful, terrifying and moving debut that wastes no time in bringing the reader on a Dantesque descent into the macabre; the gushing imagery and fluidity in dealing with such themes as domestic abuse, mental health, love and addiction trajecting Murray through his own nine circles of hell. Shocking yet charming, cogent but humble, House of Bees is poetry at its merciless best.
Stephen Murray was born in Ireland in 1974 and moved to London in 1975. His formative years were spent living with his mother and sister in Erin Pizzey’s historic shelter for battered wives in west London. As a teenager, whilst living in a children’s home, he was twice a runner-up in the W.H. Smith Young Writer of the Year Awards. In 2005 he was crowned Cúirt Grand Slam Champion. He has performed his work as guest reader at many of the world’s most famous poetry venues. He currently lives and writes in Galway where he works as director of Inspireland, teaching poetry and creative writing to young people across the country. House of Bees is his debut collection.
A beautiful, terrifying and moving debut that wastes no time in bringing the reader on a Dantesque descent into the macabre; the gushing imagery and fluidity in dealing with such themes as domestic abuse, mental health, love and addiction trajecting Murray through his own nine circles of hell. Shocking yet charming, cogent but humble, House of Bees is poetry at its merciless best.
Stephen Murray was born in Ireland in 1974 and moved to London in 1975. His formative years were spent living with his mother and sister in Erin Pizzey’s historic shelter for battered wives in west London. As a teenager, whilst living in a children’s home, he was twice a runner-up in the W.H. Smith Young Writer of the Year Awards. In 2005 he was crowned Cúirt Grand Slam Champion. He has performed his work as guest reader at many of the world’s most famous poetry venues. He currently lives and writes in Galway where he works as director of Inspireland, teaching poetry and creative writing to young people across the country. House of Bees is his debut collection.