A Song Against Dying

‘Hauntingly original… like nothing else I’ve read’ Alan HollinghurstWhere do you go to find someone who is dead?In 1996, in a ramshackle office at the heart of literary London, Maren Meinhardt met Mick Imlah. Charismatic, handsome, difficult, Mick was one of the most brilliant poets of his generation. In pub corners, local restaurants and football pitches, they fell in love. But then, on the brink of major success, Mick died. Years later, Maren sets out to find him again, in the places he loved and the words he left behind. She seeks for clues on the island of Iona, on the shorelines of Scotland, in the Scottish Borders; she travels to ‘thin’ places associated with folklore, ghosts and poets. Searching through his books and papers, Maren reflects on whether poetry has the power to recover what is lost. A beautifully written, surprising and candid account of love and literature.