Rapture's Road

From the author of All Down Darkness Wide

By Seán Hewitt | Publisher: Vintage Publishing

About the book

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE *

In this remarkable second collection, Seán Hewitt describes a journey haunted by love, loss and estrangement - from one of the Sunday Times 30 under 30 in Ireland

'Points to a bright future for Irish poetry'
SUNDAY TIMES

'An exquisitely calm and insightful lyric poet' MAX PORTER

'Amazing writing of breathtaking power' IRVINE WELSH

As the mind wanders and becomes spectral, these poems forge their own unique path through the landscape. The road Hewitt takes us on is a sleepwalk into the nightwoods, a dream-state where nature is by turns regenerated and broken, and where the split self of the speaker is interrupted by a series of ghosts, memories and encounters.

Following the reciprocal relationship between queer sexuality and the natural world that he explored in Tongues of Fire, the poet conjures us here into a trance: a deep delirium of hypnotic, hectic rapture where everything is called into question, until a union is finally achieved – a union in nature, with nature.

A threnody for what is lost, a dance of apocalypse and rebirth, Rapture’s Road draws us through what is hidden, secret, often forbidden, to a state of ecstasy. It leads into the humid night, through lethal love and grief, and glimpses, at the end of the journey, a place of tenderness and reawakening.

Editions of Rapture's Road

Paperback
ISBN 9781787334274
EBook
ISBN 9781529920925

Read an Excerpt

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE *

In this remarkable second collection, Seán Hewitt describes a journey haunted by love, loss and estrangement - from one of the Sunday Times 30 under 30 in Ireland

'Points to a bright future for Irish poetry'
SUNDAY TIMES

'An exquisitely calm and insightful lyric poet' MAX PORTER

'Amazing writing of breathtaking power' IRVINE WELSH

As the mind wanders and becomes spectral, these poems forge their own unique path through the landscape. The road Hewitt takes us on is a sleepwalk into the nightwoods, a dream-state where nature is by turns regenerated and broken, and where the split self of the speaker is interrupted by a series of ghosts, memories and encounters.

Following the reciprocal relationship between queer sexuality and the natural world that he explored in Tongues of Fire, the poet conjures us here into a trance: a deep delirium of hypnotic, hectic rapture where everything is called into question, until a union is finally achieved – a union in nature, with nature.

A threnody for what is lost, a dance of apocalypse and rebirth, Rapture’s Road draws us through what is hidden, secret, often forbidden, to a state of ecstasy. It leads into the humid night, through lethal love and grief, and glimpses, at the end of the journey, a place of tenderness and reawakening.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Rapture's Road about?

*SHORTLISTED FOR THE 2025 DYLAN THOMAS PRIZE *

In this remarkable second collection, Seán Hewitt describes a journey haunted by love, loss and estrangement - from one of the Sunday Times 30 under 30 in Ireland

'Points to a bright future for Irish poetry'
SUNDAY TIMES

'An exquisitely calm and insightful lyric poet' MAX PORTER

'Amazing writing of breathtaking power' IRVINE WELSH

As the mind wanders and becomes spectral, these poems forge their own unique path through the landscape. The road Hewitt takes us on is a sleepwalk into the nightwoods, a dream-state where nature is by turns regenerated and broken, and where the split self of the speaker is interrupted by a series of ghosts, memories and encounters.

Following the reciprocal relationship between queer sexuality and the natural world that he explored in Tongues of Fire, the poet conjures us here into a trance: a deep delirium of hypnotic, hectic rapture where everything is called into question, until a union is finally achieved – a union in nature, with nature.

A threnody for what is lost, a dance of apocalypse and rebirth, Rapture’s Road draws us through what is hidden, secret, often forbidden, to a state of ecstasy. It leads into the humid night, through lethal love and grief, and glimpses, at the end of the journey, a place of tenderness and reawakening.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in Rapture's Road?

Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Poetry / Poems > Poetry / poems by individual poets

Where can I read a sample of Rapture's Road?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781787334274

Who is/are the Author/s of the book Rapture's Road?

Seán Hewitt

Who is the Publisher of the book Rapture's Road?

Vintage Publishing

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

Rapture's Road is available as paperback(ISBN 9781787334274) and ebook(ISBN 9781529920925)

Where can I buy Rapture's Road online or support local independent bookshops?

You can buy Rapture's Road from below

Where can I buy Rapture's Road?