Books published by Ian Gouge

Myths attach themselves to just about everything. This is certainly true in the case of English native trees. Pagan, mystical or religious, some of these are well-known, but others are more obscure.In “The Myths of Native Trees”, Ian Gouge uses fragments from some of these myths as the basis for a suite of poems which are in turn mystical, lyrical.We build our own myths too. Myths about our past - or our imagined past - and about our relationship with the world around us, real or otherwise. “The Myths of Native Trees” also teases at some of these, in some cases celebrating them, in others revelling in their inescapable opacity.

Life weaves its magic of triumphs and disappointments everywhere, and often those burdened with more than their fair share of tragedy can feel lost and alone. Even in a quiet backwater like Maunston Quay people struggle to come to terms with their personal suffering and grief - yet Maunston Quay may offer the kind of second chances that gives hope to everyone.

Having received praise for his recent work 'Human Archaeology' - "a compelling exploration of the meaning of memory and history", "an interesting, special form of poetic plate-spinning" - Ian Gouge's latest book is a shift into new territory. "After The Rehearsals" is a prose poem narrative in which the poems - although they stand on their own - are akin to chapters in a work of fiction. Reading them sequentially draws the reader into the lives of the book's characters. Writing in this way, we get to the essence behind the narrative much more readily, and uncover a story told through a composite of sharp and memorable images.

Given his profession as a Historian, it was inevitable that Mark would find himself one day writing the biography of his late father, the acclaimed author Charles Packard. As his biographer, Mark is blessed with a wealth of material: first-hand experience, his father's own work, the testimonies of his Aunt, and Charles' friends, colleagues - and enemies.Yet what he uncovers is unexpected, revealing elements of his father's life that resonate with his own. The parallels he reveals begin to intrude in a very tangible way on Mark's interpretation of own his life, his history becoming more closely aligned to that of his father.Instead of being the closing of a chapter, a sealing up of the past, the biography proves to be something far darker, unleashing personal daemons that Mark could never have anticipated.

Collected together for the first time, Ian Gouge's three novellas: Losing Moby Dick, Writing to Gisella, and Riding the Escalators.LOSING MOBY DICKBooks are, for many people, precious things. They become host not only to the words within them, but to individual history and memory, thoughts and feelings. So when Jack finds he has lost his old copy of "Moby Dick" he is suddenly knocked off-balance. He knows that it should not really matter that much - but it had 'associations'…So Jack determines to replace it - and not with a pristine copy, but if he can, with an old second-hand volume from the very bookshop at which he acquired his original.A simple enough proposition you might think. But then Jack discovers that in the intervening years many things have changed, and Twerton's bookshop is not what it was. It is much, much different…WRITING TO GISELLA In many ways it was the perfect, idyllic summer break: unexpected, taken on impulse, filled with sun, culture, and the beauty of Tuscany. And it was also filled with love; the kind of love that changes a young man's life forever.And then, suddenly, the dream is killed and there is nothing but vacuum. For years.Until her letter arrives unexpectedly, finding him - them both indeed - different people.Rick's choice is binary. Does he - after all this time, and after the pain of a broken heart - simply ignore her letter? Or does he respond? Does he risk opening old wounds in the search for the answers to all those questions that once ravaged him?And if he does respond, where will her letters lead him?RIDING THE ESCALATORSWhat could possibly go wrong? After all, Mitch's idea is quite a simple one. And innocent too. The shopping mall in his town is vast: five floors of bright lights, chrome, glass; acres of products from candles to candelabra, from jumpers to jackets, music to toys. It is also filled with escalators - they too are brightly lit, shinning. They cross-cross between the floors, gluing the whole place together, allowing it to function.And that's Mitch's idea. Most people would take one or two escalators, just the ones they needed to get from A to B. But what if the escalators were made the most important thing in the mall? What if someone chose to go to the mall, ignoring the shops, just to ride them? Could you really ride them all in one session, just once each, no duplicates, no cheating, adhering to 'the rules'?That's the goal. But what starts out as a challenge of one sort soon turns into something much more strange and sinister - and Mitch suddenly finds himself and his new-found friends Suzi and Mr Lee in all sorts of danger…