Muse

'The joker of his own tristesse' is how one critic described Gerry Murphy, a poet whose distinctive, provocative, left-of-centre poems have made him one of the most popular Irish poets of his generation. In this new collection, Murphy continues to explore - and indeed to play havoc with - his perennial subjects of political and religious influence; but, as the title suggests, the book highlights his poems of love and loss, of temporary lust and lasting desire that make his work complex and authentic as well as frequently laugh-out-loud.

Gerry Murphy was born in Cork in 1952. He has published six previous collections of poetry, including My Flirtation with International Socialism (2010). End of Part One: New and Selected Poems appeared in 2006 to critical and popular acclaim. His poetry was adapted for actors and musicians by Crazy Dog Audio Theatre and, as The People's Republic of Gerry Murphy, had a week-long run at Cork's Everyman Palace in 2008.