Helen Mort – författare

Brought to you by Penguin.Climbing gives you the illusion of being in control, just for a while, the tantalising sense of being able to stay one move ahead of death.Helen Mort has always been drawn to the thrill and risk of climbing: the tension between human and rockface, and the climber''s powerful connection to the elemental world. But when she becomes a mother for the first time, she finds herself re-examining her relationship with both the natural world and herself, as well as the way the world views women who aren''t afraid to take risks.A Line Above the Sky melds memoir and nature writing to ask why humans are drawn to danger, and how we can find freedom in pushing our limits. It is a visceral love letter to losing oneself in physicality, whether climbing a mountain or bringing a child into the world, and an unforgettable celebration of womanhood in all its forms.© Helen Mort 2022 (P) Penguin Audio 2022

Award-winning poet, writer and runner Helen Mort looks at stories of running through the ages, asking why humans run and what it tells us about ourselves

For millions of people worldwide, running is an essential part of life. It is seen as a path to health, longevity and mental wellbeing – but what is at the root of this international obsession? Where did our desire and ability to run come from, and what role has running played in communities through the ages? Talking to scientists, historians, athletes and authors, Helen Mort follows a trail leading from neolithic times to now, to find out why we run, how our relationship to running has changed and how running has been depicted in our culture across the ages.

Beginning 6000 years ago in the Northern Sahara, she explores what running meant to early humans. Was it merely a way of hunting long-distance, or did it also have ritualistic and spiritual aspects? She hears how indigenous peoples have a long tradition of running to honour their ancestors and worship the gods, and traces the practice of competitive running back to Ancient Greece and the first Olympiad. Recounting the myths of Atalanta and Achilles, Helen goes on to unveil the truth behind the famous legend of Pheidippides, whose feat – and feet – gave us the marathon.

From the iconic rock painting ‘The Running Horned Woman’ to ancient Irish artefacts, Renaissance sculpture, Japanese cinema and American subway ads, she examines running’s enduring relationship with creativity. And, further down the track, she examines the part running has played in societies from Europe''s Dark Ages to the modern era: uncovering the surprising religious origins of Britain''s present-day position in global athletics, charting the ups and downs of the participation and perception of women runners, and pondering what running’s explosion in popularity in the 20th century means for us today.

Presented by Helen Mort

Produced by Sam Peach and Becca Bryers

Readings by Andi Bickers and Nuhazet Diaz Cano

Thanks to Dr Judith Swaddling and Thor Gotaas

Interviewees: Dr Nathalie Hager, Prof Dan Lieberman, Dustin Martin, Christopher McDougall, Andrea Marcolongo, Roger Robinson, Neil Baxter, Sam Edwards, Bill Hillman, Katie Holmes, Peter Radford

First broadcast on BBC Radio 4, 23 September-7 October 2024

© 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd. (P) 2025 BBC Studios Distribution Ltd

What happens when poetry and philosophy converge? Over coffee at Leeds’ Opposite Cafe, award-winning poet Helen Mort and Professor of Philosophical Aesthetics Aaron Meskin set out to explore that very question.Their caffeine-fuelled discussions morphed into the intriguing concept behind this book: a cross-disciplinary creative dialogue in which the poet lets her imagination loose on philosophical texts and the authors of the papers respond.Like all the best coffee shop conversations, the results take unexpected turns through the art of tattooing, graffiti, Belle & Sebastian, food, rock climbing and whether there’s such a thing as bad art. So pull up a chair, and join Helen, Aaron and ten of the world’s leading philosophers of art for coffee, poetry and everything in between.“A fascinating series of exchanges that delight and inspire in equal measure, and will be of interest to anyone looking for ways to engage with the world afresh.” Marion Thain, Professor of Literature and Culture at King’s College London

In November 2021, Helen Mort’s father had two life altering strokes. Dad vs. Dad is an account of the aftermath of those strokes. In this hardback multi-media pamphlet length collection, Helen Mort combines lyric poetry with visual-text pieces involving erasure poetry made from working with one of her father's favourite chess books. The effects of a stroke and stroke recovery are documented through the language of strategy and struggle.

Slipcase 2nd edition of this delightful, moving VERVE Poetry bestseller.

In November 2021, Helen Mort’s father had two life altering strokes.

Dad vs. Dad is an account of the aftermath of those strokes. In this hardback multi-media pamphlet length collection, Helen Mort combines lyric poetry with visual-text pieces involving erasure poetry made from working with one of her father's favourite chess books. The effects of a stroke and stroke recovery are documented through the language of strategy and struggle.

‘In chess, a move requires a response (until it doesn’t, like the game of life). Check. Check mate. Erasing elements of an existing text, I set arbitrary rules for myself. There is an arrangement here, a sequence, an attempt to find a pattern. Grappling with a text is easy. Grappling with your own altered body and brain is hard. These pages do not reflect my dad’s experience of stroke or my mum’s experience of supporting him in ongoing recovery. They are just a series of movements. They take the time they take (until time takes them).’ – Helen, in her introduction

Exire is not a novel. It is not a collection of short stories. It is, instead, both of these things: stories that may stand alone whilst being inextricably tied together. It is Helen Mort’s first foray into the world of fiction beyond poetry.

Exire: Dystopian Britain, the year unspecified. A new website, Exire, offers those who feel disconnected from their lives one last act of choice, packaged as a bespoke service. In this unsettling collection, voices fade in and out, people connected by Exire’s troubling appeal. At the heart of it all is Lorna, a young musician who has made a painful decision. We hear her story in reverse.

Verse Matters harnesses the power of everyday stories, highlighting the strength and inspiration that comes from speaking out proudly in unsettled times. This anthology of poems and prose, edited by award-winning Sheffield-based writers Helen Mort and Rachel Bower, brings a diverse range of voices to the fore, from celebrated contemporary poets like Malika Booker, Liz Berry and Hollie McNish to first-time published writers from the UK and abroad. What brings them together is the extraordinary, ordinary tales they tell each other, and their determination to be heard.

This anthology will showcase a variety of new writing celebrating the British pub and everything that happens there: glass-half-full poems, early doors and last orders poems, it’s-your-round-next poems, poems so urgent they had to be scribbled on beer mats.As well as a poem, each writer featured in the book will also share their favourite pub with you – real or imagined, thriving or long-since shut. Stuart Maconie and Helen Mort will ferry you on your way with short prose pieces inspired by the theme – a literary bar-hop.