Description
In November 2021, Helen Mort’s father had two life altering strokes. 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.
All royalties earned from this title will be donated by Helen to The Stroke Association. Stroke Association | Rebuilding lives for stroke survivors
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Helen Mort is Professor of Creative Writing at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has published three collections of poetry with Chatto & Windus and her latest, The Illustrated Woman (2022) was shortlisted for the Forward Prize.
