Just a Saying

by Catherine Cookson

From the earliest poem included here, written in 1925 when she was 19 years old, to poetry written just before her death in 1998 at the age of 91, this anthology spans the gamut of Catherine Cookson’s life and work.

The collection draws on many themes that will be familiar to the readers of this well-loved love, work, class and the beauty of nature. She also shares more personal thoughts, reflections on her own writing, marriage to her beloved Tom and life in the north of England.

The poems are characterized by her down-to-earth common sense, and the hard-won philosophy she developed for herself. In Brushed Nylon , she tackles the subject of a failed relationship while The Daily Round takes a look at working life. Slow Me Down talks of her feelings about growing old and The Joy of the Country recalls a holiday in Wales.

129 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Catherine Cookson was born in Tyne Dock, the illegitimate daughter of a poverty-stricken woman, Kate, who Catherine believed was her older sister. Catherine began work in service but eventually moved south to Hastings, where she met and married Tom Cookson, a local grammar-school master.

Although she was originally acclaimed as a regional writer - her novel The Round Tower won the Winifred Holtby Award for the best regional novel of 1968 - her readership quickly spread throughout the world, and her many best-selling novels established her as one of the most popular contemporary woman novelist. She received an OBE in 1985, was created a Dame of the British Empire in 1993, and was appointed an Honorary Fellow of St Hilda's College, Oxford, in 1997.

For many years she lived near Newcastle upon Tyne.

Reviews

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kind language, easy and nice to read. Very meaningful.