He was a man who suffered from black surges of misery yet expressed in his verse many breathtaking impressions of electric joy and love. In a biography that marks the arrival of a huge non-fiction talent, Katherine Rundell uses a witty and spirited entry point, an 'act of evangelism' to unveil the man behind the words.
Rob Chapman's book is the first authoritative and exhaustively researched biography of Syd Barrett that fully celebrates his life and legacy as a musician, lyricist and artist, and which highlights the influence that he continues to have over contemporary bands and music fans alike.
Sylvia Plath was, for both English and American poetry, one of the defining voices of twentieth-century, and one of the most appealing: few other poets have introduced as many new readers to poetry.
A loner, Travis Bickle, takes up driving a taxi in search of an escape from his sleeplessness and his disgust with the corruption he finds around him. His pent-up rage, fuelled by his doomed relationship with a political campaign worker, leads to an inevitable descent into psychosis and violence.
Aided by her bespoke agency and a cast of boyfriends - each allotted their own task (the handy boyfriend, the culinary boyfriend, the real estate boyfriend) - she is happy to fill in for any of us: for the Chairman of the Board, a ghost, a murderer, a mother.