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running through the wires
Un arpeggio sulle corde è la prima raccolta di poesie che Kae Tempest ha pubblicato dopo il successo ottenuto con Resta te stessa. In una serie di poesie, rap, frammenti e schizzi squisitamente modulati, Tempest descrive il crepacuore connesso con la fine di un rapporto e la gioia che circonda l’inizio di un nuovo amore; ma ci racconta anche quello che succede nel mezzo di questo processo, quando il cuore è tirato da tutte le parti.Un arpeggio sulle corde segna uno stacco netto dalle opere precedenti di Kae Tempest e si presenta in maniera intima e senza falsi pudori – ma conferma anche il ruolo di Tempest come una delle più importanti e veritiere voci poetiche i lettori non saranno sorpresi di ritrovare nelle questioni di cuore la stessa franca e risoluta capacità di osservazione riservata ai mutamenti politici e sociali. Un arpeggio sulle corde è un libro appassionato, commovente e gioioso sull’amore, sulla sua fine e sul suo inizio.
Unknown Binding
First published September 6, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews
April 24, 2023
Anything with a a Dubliners reference in the title of a book is worth a read. And so it proved to be.
A painful collection of poetry portraying love in all its stages, and love in all its extremities.
Tempest is bold, they convey the aberrance caused by a lost love brilliantly - and the torment and anguish of the craving to regain what once was:
'Nothing lasts, says the fallen wave'.
They also capture such pain in a way so relatable and familiar, when it smashes you in the jaw during the most mundane of tasks:
'Waiting for the kettle, suddenly we'll be drawn backwards
Understanding the unfathomable things the other said'
Or similarly:
'Careful with the radio
All songs might be the straw'.
Narratively, it's interesting how it begins at the end and climaxes at the start. Some of the more hopeful content is featured as they describe the beginnings of a relationship, summarising the safety and comfort we find in our 'other':
'So much left to do
but when I close
the day with you
It's the closest
I have ever come
to rest'
A painful collection of poetry portraying love in all its stages, and love in all its extremities.
Tempest is bold, they convey the aberrance caused by a lost love brilliantly - and the torment and anguish of the craving to regain what once was:
'Nothing lasts, says the fallen wave'.
They also capture such pain in a way so relatable and familiar, when it smashes you in the jaw during the most mundane of tasks:
'Waiting for the kettle, suddenly we'll be drawn backwards
Understanding the unfathomable things the other said'
Or similarly:
'Careful with the radio
All songs might be the straw'.
Narratively, it's interesting how it begins at the end and climaxes at the start. Some of the more hopeful content is featured as they describe the beginnings of a relationship, summarising the safety and comfort we find in our 'other':
'So much left to do
but when I close
the day with you
It's the closest
I have ever come
to rest'
August 30, 2019
Listened to on audiobook via BorrowBox!
Narrated by Kate herself, her poetry collection is LGBTQIA+ and follows the end of one romantic relationship then the start of a new one. A fast and powerful listen, it was raw and honest. My first time giving her poetry a try, not the last!
Narrated by Kate herself, her poetry collection is LGBTQIA+ and follows the end of one romantic relationship then the start of a new one. A fast and powerful listen, it was raw and honest. My first time giving her poetry a try, not the last!
April 14, 2025
I've loved each of Kae Tempest's previous books of poetry, so I had high expectations for this, their newest collection. Unfortunately, I found myself rather disappointed by their efforts this time ("efforts" sounds dismissive as I look at the word I've written, and I'm not inclined to change it).
Kae's subject matter this time is themself, the ending and aftermath of one relationship and the start of a new one from the ashes of the old. There are some nice turns of phrase, but too few. There are some poems that seem half-thought fragments of ideas scribbled on scraps of paper, discarded, then swept back together. It all seems a little self-indulgent, although it improves slightly towards the end.
I get a feeling of Kae having mined their emotions for material, rather than having expressed their emotions through the poems. (Yet they still speaks to me as "Kae" rather than "Tempest").
My rating of 2.5/5 stars rounded down rather than up for Goodreads, after some thought about which way to go. I'll let it sit for a while and come back to it later to see if anything's changed for me. At present, though, it feels like a misstep.
Kae's subject matter this time is themself, the ending and aftermath of one relationship and the start of a new one from the ashes of the old. There are some nice turns of phrase, but too few. There are some poems that seem half-thought fragments of ideas scribbled on scraps of paper, discarded, then swept back together. It all seems a little self-indulgent, although it improves slightly towards the end.
I get a feeling of Kae having mined their emotions for material, rather than having expressed their emotions through the poems. (Yet they still speaks to me as "Kae" rather than "Tempest").
My rating of 2.5/5 stars rounded down rather than up for Goodreads, after some thought about which way to go. I'll let it sit for a while and come back to it later to see if anything's changed for me. At present, though, it feels like a misstep.
April 6, 2025
Vulnerable, raw, honest, deeply moving, Kae Tempest is a true wordsmith. Loved it.
September 6, 2018
Gently sad and full. She gets such an ache out of words.
(listened to audiobook, her voice and lilt are just too good to keep pinned to the page)
(listened to audiobook, her voice and lilt are just too good to keep pinned to the page)
April 27, 2019
Beautiful, personal, raw. This is a bit different from the previous collections I've read by Kate Tempest, but no less captivating.
June 24, 2022
« Born and born and born in you »
« The whole world is a sick joke about how beautiful you are »
« Take me as you want to find me »
« Who could make a mess of a mess like me »
« I kiss my cup when I drink my coffee »
« I recognize the silence, he’s me and she’s you »
« The whole world is a sick joke about how beautiful you are »
« Take me as you want to find me »
« Who could make a mess of a mess like me »
« I kiss my cup when I drink my coffee »
« I recognize the silence, he’s me and she’s you »
May 13, 2025
« so much left to do but when I close the day with you / it’s the closest I have ever come to rest »
September 26, 2018
3.5 /5
“The whole world is a sick joke about how beautiful you are” – Kate Tempest, Running Upon the Wires
I adored Kate Tempest’s previous collections Hold Your Own and Let Them Eat Chaos, and they both hold very special places in my heart. Understandably, I was very excited to get my hands on her latest collection.
Running Upon the Wires shows us a different side to the poet, this collection is definitely her most raw and personal. The collection follows the breakdown of one relationship, the beginning of a new relationship and the messy period in between.
I enjoyed the structure of the book, the poems were grouped into three sections, starting with 'The End', followed by 'The Middle' and ending with 'The Beginning'.
Some of my favourite poems were: 'Keeping Busy', 'Moving On, Crawling Back', 'Heel' and 'Running Upon the Wires'. Through her writing, we witness how complex, agonising, scary and ultimately how beautiful love can be. I noticed that I preferred the poems from ‘The End’, as they were more passionate, powerful, longer and flowed better.
I had high hopes for this collection; unfortunately, I found it a bit of a letdown. I was less affected by this collection and struggled to connect with many of the poems, as they just felt too personal. I also found that the poems didn’t have the same passion, angst, rhythm and personality of her other poetry. Perhaps I would have enjoyed her poetry more if I had listened to them recited by Tempest herself.
I did enjoy Running Upon the Wires, however, I don't think it is as clever, powerful or memorable as her previous works.
“The whole world is a sick joke about how beautiful you are” – Kate Tempest, Running Upon the Wires
I adored Kate Tempest’s previous collections Hold Your Own and Let Them Eat Chaos, and they both hold very special places in my heart. Understandably, I was very excited to get my hands on her latest collection.
Running Upon the Wires shows us a different side to the poet, this collection is definitely her most raw and personal. The collection follows the breakdown of one relationship, the beginning of a new relationship and the messy period in between.
I enjoyed the structure of the book, the poems were grouped into three sections, starting with 'The End', followed by 'The Middle' and ending with 'The Beginning'.
Some of my favourite poems were: 'Keeping Busy', 'Moving On, Crawling Back', 'Heel' and 'Running Upon the Wires'. Through her writing, we witness how complex, agonising, scary and ultimately how beautiful love can be. I noticed that I preferred the poems from ‘The End’, as they were more passionate, powerful, longer and flowed better.
I had high hopes for this collection; unfortunately, I found it a bit of a letdown. I was less affected by this collection and struggled to connect with many of the poems, as they just felt too personal. I also found that the poems didn’t have the same passion, angst, rhythm and personality of her other poetry. Perhaps I would have enjoyed her poetry more if I had listened to them recited by Tempest herself.
I did enjoy Running Upon the Wires, however, I don't think it is as clever, powerful or memorable as her previous works.
October 11, 2022
i think modern poetry just doesn't do it for me
October 13, 2023
A different poetry bundle than I'm used to from this author, but definitely another pearl. A lot of diversity in the poems, some I liked less but others are just absolute perfection.
January 19, 2019
Another absolute banger from Kate Tempest
April 23, 2022
Na “Brand new ancients”, “Hold your own” en “Let them eat chaos” is “Running upon the wires” ongetwijfeld Tempest’s meest persoonlijke bundel. De T is uit haar voornaam verdwenen sinds ze vorig jaar aankondigde non-binair te zijn. Kae Tempest dus.
Kae Tempest’s bundels zijn nooit echte bundels in de zin van een serie gedichten. Het zijn meer novellen in poëzievorm. Wat dat betreft is “Running upon the wires” een uitzondering. Gedichten, maar desondanks dat zit er een hele duidelijke lijn in. Drie hoofdstukken: The End, The Middle en The Beginning. In die volgorde. We hebben het over het eind van een relatie, gevoelens van geluk en verdriet die na-echoën, die blijven plakken in gewoontes. Een situatie die langdurig is, maar waarin op den duur toch wat barstjes verschijnen waar ander “leven” tussendoor begint te sijpelen. Daarna, de eerste blikken, opnieuw, het tot over je oren. Wat het eind van de wereld leek blijkt uiteindelijk dezelfde wereld die gewoon doordraait en waarop je je op eenzelfde onbegrensde wijze overgeeft aan een ander. Het is altijd zo geweest en het zal altijd zo zijn. Je kan wat poëet betreft opstappen waar je wil, de cirkel draait in één en dezelfde richting dus je komt op de een of andere manier toch weer wel uit op je punt van vertrek. Het decor van Kae Tempest’s cirkel is vaak dat van het Engeland van nu, hun Engeland, hun veranderende Engeland. Hen blijft wellicht hetzelfde. Maar hun tegenspelers, het decor en de requisieten veranderen met de tijd.
Als je Kae Tempest ooit hebt zien optreden ontkom je er onmogelijk aan hen te horen voordragen als je iets van hen leest. Zo ook met “Running upon the wires”, misschien niet hun sterkste werk, maar desondanks nog altijd grote klasse.
Running upon the wires
Yes, we do repeat. Motifs
occur again, again
This does not mean
we are not new
You are not her.
This is not then.
Kae Tempest – “Running upon the wires” (2018)
●●●●○ (4/5)
De volledige recensie (met platen en citaten) vind je hier: https://rondetijd.blogspot.com/2022/0...
Kae Tempest’s bundels zijn nooit echte bundels in de zin van een serie gedichten. Het zijn meer novellen in poëzievorm. Wat dat betreft is “Running upon the wires” een uitzondering. Gedichten, maar desondanks dat zit er een hele duidelijke lijn in. Drie hoofdstukken: The End, The Middle en The Beginning. In die volgorde. We hebben het over het eind van een relatie, gevoelens van geluk en verdriet die na-echoën, die blijven plakken in gewoontes. Een situatie die langdurig is, maar waarin op den duur toch wat barstjes verschijnen waar ander “leven” tussendoor begint te sijpelen. Daarna, de eerste blikken, opnieuw, het tot over je oren. Wat het eind van de wereld leek blijkt uiteindelijk dezelfde wereld die gewoon doordraait en waarop je je op eenzelfde onbegrensde wijze overgeeft aan een ander. Het is altijd zo geweest en het zal altijd zo zijn. Je kan wat poëet betreft opstappen waar je wil, de cirkel draait in één en dezelfde richting dus je komt op de een of andere manier toch weer wel uit op je punt van vertrek. Het decor van Kae Tempest’s cirkel is vaak dat van het Engeland van nu, hun Engeland, hun veranderende Engeland. Hen blijft wellicht hetzelfde. Maar hun tegenspelers, het decor en de requisieten veranderen met de tijd.
Als je Kae Tempest ooit hebt zien optreden ontkom je er onmogelijk aan hen te horen voordragen als je iets van hen leest. Zo ook met “Running upon the wires”, misschien niet hun sterkste werk, maar desondanks nog altijd grote klasse.
Running upon the wires
Yes, we do repeat. Motifs
occur again, again
This does not mean
we are not new
You are not her.
This is not then.
Kae Tempest – “Running upon the wires” (2018)
●●●●○ (4/5)
De volledige recensie (met platen en citaten) vind je hier: https://rondetijd.blogspot.com/2022/0...
September 10, 2018
I read this mostly in one bus journey from work while listening to a Marika Hackman, because it felt appropriate. The two seem pretty close together in the way they write about relationships especially as this book's about the breakdown of a relationship, the start of a new one and the messy part in the middle where the two overlap. It would actually have been more appropriate to listen to I'm Not Your Man to completely match up the two, as I listened to We Slept At Last instead and that's a slightly more impersonal album.
Anyway, back to this book. Given the subjects it covers in the poems it's clearly a pretty personal book. There's still the same humour there is in parts of Hold Your Own or Let Them Eat Chaos but less in the way of politics. I don't think she'd be able to completely avoid it in her work as it seems like such a big part of who she is and what she cares about so there is a hint of that too, even if it's just in the background. In all it covers a wide enough spectrum of experiences that even someone who hasn't had the same history in terms of relationships can still find something to relate to, even if it's just in the longing for someone and the complicated nature of some romantic relationships.
I'm sure this is the kind of book which I'll come back to and find more to connect with as I have new experiences. I'm looking forward to that already.
Anyway, back to this book. Given the subjects it covers in the poems it's clearly a pretty personal book. There's still the same humour there is in parts of Hold Your Own or Let Them Eat Chaos but less in the way of politics. I don't think she'd be able to completely avoid it in her work as it seems like such a big part of who she is and what she cares about so there is a hint of that too, even if it's just in the background. In all it covers a wide enough spectrum of experiences that even someone who hasn't had the same history in terms of relationships can still find something to relate to, even if it's just in the longing for someone and the complicated nature of some romantic relationships.
I'm sure this is the kind of book which I'll come back to and find more to connect with as I have new experiences. I'm looking forward to that already.
September 16, 2018
I honestly cannot rate this. I am a super fan of Kate Tempest's poetry and I love everything she touches, I'd tattoo Let Them it Chaos in its entirety on my face if it fit, honestly. This collection, though, this collection is something else. It's beautiful, the images are nitid and authentic, as one's come to expect from her, also deep-felt and modern. It's just more difficult to connect to, simply because they're very personal love poems. I liked all of them and some I will come back to many times in the future, I feel, but it just didn't make my heart swell the way her other poems did. And that's fine, it wasn't healthy, what LTIC did to my mind & body, I couldn't withstand it regularly.
January 8, 2019
Doposiaľ najosobnejšia, najintímnejšia zbierka poézie od Kate Tempest je vystavaná ako uzavretý kruh-začína rozpadom dlhoročného vzťahu a končí zamilovaním sa. Medzi týmito dvoma brehmi je všetko čo medzi ne patrí- momenty zúfalstva, promiskuita, vášeň, romantické momenty.
Pre umocnenie dojmu si odporúčam pozrieť performance- resp. čítačku celej zbierky autorkou (nájdete ľahko na youtube).
Pre umocnenie dojmu si odporúčam pozrieť performance- resp. čítačku celej zbierky autorkou (nájdete ľahko na youtube).
September 28, 2020
I read this in a few minutes and cringed throughout the whole thing. I think it would have been best to keep these writings extremely private
Read
March 12, 2019Vad jag längtat efter att läsa den här boken. Kate Tempest är en av de författare jag står i djup skuld till, vars skrivande påverkat till den grad att den där boken som släpps i januari inte skulle vara densamma utan. Förhoppningsvis får jag tacka henne för det en dag.
Running Upon The Wires tar sin början i ett slut. I en kärleksrelation som faller sönder. Där en Kate (Tempest själv, vad jag förstår) blir lämnad med ett hängande, hjärtslitande kanske om framtiden. Det gör också att första delen är den som känns.
Lycka, och särskilt lycklig kärlek, är knepigare. Både att skriva och läsa. En del av dikterna som följer, där vi gläntar genom nyckelhålet och ibland får se mer än vad vi frågat efter av en ny kärleksrelation, står sig inte heller enskilt. Men som en del av berättelsen är de nödvändiga för drivet framåt. Och för att huggen ska kännas desto mer när de kommer.
Är Tempest ny för dig ska du genast greppa Hold Your Own, Tempest socialrealistiska mästerverk om samtida England. Men om du redan fallit för väven och längtar efter en ny fix bjuder Running Upon The Wires en utmärkt fortsättning.
Running Upon The Wires tar sin början i ett slut. I en kärleksrelation som faller sönder. Där en Kate (Tempest själv, vad jag förstår) blir lämnad med ett hängande, hjärtslitande kanske om framtiden. Det gör också att första delen är den som känns.
Lycka, och särskilt lycklig kärlek, är knepigare. Både att skriva och läsa. En del av dikterna som följer, där vi gläntar genom nyckelhålet och ibland får se mer än vad vi frågat efter av en ny kärleksrelation, står sig inte heller enskilt. Men som en del av berättelsen är de nödvändiga för drivet framåt. Och för att huggen ska kännas desto mer när de kommer.
Är Tempest ny för dig ska du genast greppa Hold Your Own, Tempest socialrealistiska mästerverk om samtida England. Men om du redan fallit för väven och längtar efter en ny fix bjuder Running Upon The Wires en utmärkt fortsättning.
July 21, 2021
Ho ordinato dei libri online e non mi ero accorta questo fosse un libro di poesia. Io non leggo poesie perché fatico a capirle, a leggerne il sottotesto, a comprenderne il valore, a commisurare la metrica. Quindi è stata una brutta sorpresa quando mi sono resa conto di aver comprato un libro di poesie. E invece questo libro mi è piaciuto e credo di averlo anche capito.
Kae Tempest raccoglie in questo volumetto dal testo inglese a fronte le poesie che descrivono la fine di un amore, l'inizio di uno nuovo e quel periodo di incertezza, smarrimento e sbandamento che passa tra i due. L'evocazione della perdita, del ritorno dell'ex, del vederla ovunque (nei posti frequentati assieme, tra le lenzuola, in una tazza da caffè...), dell'abbandono e poi la confusione che precede una nuova conoscenza importante. Sentimenti universali che non hanno genere o orientamento.
Davvero una bella scoperta.
Kae Tempest raccoglie in questo volumetto dal testo inglese a fronte le poesie che descrivono la fine di un amore, l'inizio di uno nuovo e quel periodo di incertezza, smarrimento e sbandamento che passa tra i due. L'evocazione della perdita, del ritorno dell'ex, del vederla ovunque (nei posti frequentati assieme, tra le lenzuola, in una tazza da caffè...), dell'abbandono e poi la confusione che precede una nuova conoscenza importante. Sentimenti universali che non hanno genere o orientamento.
Davvero una bella scoperta.
December 23, 2018
A poem collection from Kate Tempest. I have not read much poetry before but this year I have been introduced to Hollie McNish, Carol Anne Duffy and now Kate Tempest.
The subject is love and relationships. It is written in three parts,the breakdown of a relationship, the messy bit in the middle when you still mourning the person and everything is still so raw and the intensity of a new relationship.
Poignant words written with strength.
Quotes
But Every Soppy F***g Love Song.
Careful with the radio
All songs might be the straw.
That whips the camels broken back
And leaves you on the floor.
No matter that you've heard the song
Six thousand times before.
The subject is love and relationships. It is written in three parts,the breakdown of a relationship, the messy bit in the middle when you still mourning the person and everything is still so raw and the intensity of a new relationship.
Poignant words written with strength.
Quotes
But Every Soppy F***g Love Song.
Careful with the radio
All songs might be the straw.
That whips the camels broken back
And leaves you on the floor.
No matter that you've heard the song
Six thousand times before.
September 16, 2018
The poetess is estranged from the reader,
simply by investing in a relentlessly, inconsequential form.
Love? love is tentative, predatory,
the heart must be given absent effusive embarrassments,
acts of intimacy exploratory
and displayed true love achingly.
Self-love, only and always, is first, last true-true love
leave this world, my love,
bedlam devotion, slice-to-the-bone-motion,
bleed out...lovely and silken...a prostrate sculpture.
#love #poetry
Chris Roberts, God of Face Shifting Wayfarers
simply by investing in a relentlessly, inconsequential form.
Love? love is tentative, predatory,
the heart must be given absent effusive embarrassments,
acts of intimacy exploratory
and displayed true love achingly.
Self-love, only and always, is first, last true-true love
leave this world, my love,
bedlam devotion, slice-to-the-bone-motion,
bleed out...lovely and silken...a prostrate sculpture.
#love #poetry
Chris Roberts, God of Face Shifting Wayfarers
May 26, 2020
Wow! This is my 2nd ever poetry book after reading Hold Your Own, it’s beautiful and full of pain and joy. Everything that comes with losing one relationship and then finding love and moving on with someone new. As with Hold Your Own the specificity of her words and experience makes you think it was written for you and your experience. At some lines I laughed out loud at the honesty of it. At others I felt my heart break all over again. Would really love to listen to the Audiobook next!
April 10, 2021
"Don't catch me. Falling is what I want.
In motion I'm better at stillness"
This fast-paced little dynamite of a collection lives and breathes Kae Tempest. I know Kae through their music, hard-hitting spoken word and a slow beat - trance like and sublime. Their written poetry is just as shockingly beautiful, raw. Few words written magnificently. I love how it begins at the end and ends at the beginning. I want more.
In motion I'm better at stillness"
This fast-paced little dynamite of a collection lives and breathes Kae Tempest. I know Kae through their music, hard-hitting spoken word and a slow beat - trance like and sublime. Their written poetry is just as shockingly beautiful, raw. Few words written magnificently. I love how it begins at the end and ends at the beginning. I want more.
October 22, 2018
I’m a big fan of this multi talented writer and her new collection of love poems does not disappoint. I’d recommend listening to the podcast with her poetry editor, where they chat about the process of writing and editing this collection (Guardian Books podcast) as it gives some insight into the process. I will re-read and recommend this.
September 14, 2018
"You know, it used to keep me up at night,
The lack of you"
The lack of you"
October 19, 2018
Enjoyable but nothing really stuck out for me
May 23, 2021
"Sometimes, when we come together, you scream like you are being born. I sing like I am dying."
July 13, 2024
Obsessed
Read
April 3, 2019This collection contains a lot of rather short poems,with a strong theme of family, love and sex throughout. Some beautiful lines and images. All in all less focus on playing with the language, especially compared to her previous work, which I prefer.
September 9, 2019
The Emperor has no clothes.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 133 reviews