On Memoir

A delightful compendium of musings from the master of life writing, the much-loved Blake Morrison, for those who practise the art of memoir, and those who read it.

ON MEMOIR is a gloriously freewheeling exploration of narrative non-fiction, its challenges, ethics and charms, and its power to move and change us.

From AI to Ethics to Politics to Sex, there is something for every reader and writer in this modern classic.

Gleaned from a lifetime as a passionate reader of others’ lives, as well as an unflinchingly honest chronicler of his own, Morrison’s A-Z is a trove of thoughtful literary exploration, amusing observations, and fascinating finds.

Reviews

‘Blake Morrison is without equal’ HOWARD JACOBSON

‘Morrison has a startling gift' LITERARY REVIEW

‘A writer of undoubted skill’ NEW STATESMAN

‘Few writers can claim to have affected the literary landscape like Blake Morrison’ MAIL ON SUNDAY

‘Morrison writes with a reckless respect for the truth’ GUARDIAN

About the author

Blake Morrison is a poet, novelist and journalist. His non-fiction books include And When Did You Last See Your Father? (1993), which won the J. R. Ackerley Prize and the Esquire/Volvo/Waterstone's Non-Fiction Book Award, As If (1997), about the murder of the toddler James Bulger in Liverpool in 1993, and a memoir of his mother, Things My Mother Never Told Me (2002). His poetry includes the collections Dark Glasses (1984), winner of a Somerset Maugham Award, and Shingle Street (2015) He is a regular literary critic for the Guardian and the London Review of Books.