Urban Myths and Legends Costa Prize these poems see James writing

these poems see James writing with his insight and energy not only undiminished but positively charged by his situation: Sentenced to Life represents a career high point from one of the greatest literary intelligences of the age

we learn to see the world as contested space: a battleground between received ideas

danger or intense concentration

‘All of the poems in this debut

Urban Myths and Legends Costa Prize these poems see James writingUrban Myths and Legends is a sparky collection of poems by modern poets who have taken inspiration from the Roman poet Ovids Metamorphoses. The poems all tell stories which include a transformation some inspired directly by the Metamorphoses and some completely new and of our time. Wings sprout, leaves fall and a traffic warden is rudely interrupted, as the poets channel Ovids mischief and whisper tales of just and unjust deserts.