Poetry & Strikes

Michael James holds a PhD in English Literature from Royal Holloway, University of London.

‘[T]his book is committed to a perspicacious engagement with the social and political components and contexts of the poems discussed, whereby poetry offers "alternative representations" of both trade unionism and the forces arrayed against it.’Adam Hansen, Modern Language Review

• Introduction I. Why Poetry?II. Introducing the Poets III. The Chapters Chapter One How Did We Get Here? The History Chapter Two Unions and Not Unions I. UnionsI.I. Barry MacSweeney’s Black Torch and ‘Black Torch Sunrise’ I.II. Tony Harrison’s ‘V.’ I.III. Sean O’Brien’s ‘Summertime’ I.IV Steve Ely’s ‘Ballad of the Scabs’, ‘Irish Blood, English Heart’ and ‘Inglan is a Bitch’ II. Not Unions II.I Helen Mort’s ‘Scab’ Chapter Three Naming Scargills and Thatchers I. NamingI.I. Paul Bentley’s ‘The Two Magicians’ I.II. Barry MacSweeney’s ‘John Bunyan to Johnny Rotten’ I.III. Sean O’Brien’s ‘Unregistered’ I.IV. Steve Ely’s ‘Arthur Scargill’, 'One of Us’, 'Ballad of the Scabs’, ‘Scum of the Earth’, ‘Nithing’ Chapter Four Strikes and Place I.I. Paul Bentley’s ‘The Two Magicians’I.II. Helen Mort’s ‘Scab’ and ‘Pit Closure as a Tarantino Short’ and Steve Ely’s ‘Objective One’ Chapter Five Other Poetic Responses I. Against All the OddsII. The Poet Laureate - Ted Hughes’ ‘On the Reservations’ and ‘The Best Worker in Europe’