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Carrying the Elephant: A Memoir of Love and Loss

by Michael Rosen

Interest age: 11+
Reading age: 11+

Published by Penguin, 2002

  • Classics
  • Poetry and rhyme

About this book

In the 72 prose poems that make up this unusual and moving collection, Michael Rosen tells the story of his life in beautifully written short episodes, which give the reader a vivid glimpse into the author's personal life.

At the heart of the collection is the sudden and shocking death of Rosen's 18-year-old son from meningitis and Rosen's subsequent exploration of the pain and burden of grief and loss.

Some poems are narrated quite directly; others simply suggested, making this a moving and unforgettable memoir for all readers.

About the author

Michael Rosen is one of Britain’s best loved writers and performance poets for children and adults. His first degree in English Literature and Language was from Wadham College, Oxford and he went on to study for an MA at the University of Reading and a PhD at the former University of North London, now London Metropolitan.

He is currently Professor of Children’s Literature at Goldsmiths, University of London where he co-devised and teaches critical approaches to reading on an MA in Children’s Literature, having done the same at Birkbeck, University of London. He has taught on MA courses in universities since 1994.

He was the Children’s Laureate from 2007 to 2009 and has published over 200 books for children and adults, including the recent bestseller Many Different Kinds of Love and On The Move.

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