Second Lives - Tales from Two Cities (Paperback)

Featuring: Will Self Jane Mccaffery Edwin Morgan Ewan Morrison Terrance Hayes Allan Wilson Louise Welsh Kapka Kassabova Gerald Stern Doug johnstone Lori Jagielka Hilary Masters David Kinloch Yona Harvey Sharon Dilworth Lee Gutkind Richard Wilson & many more What is a city? Do people make cities or do cities make people? And can cities have second lives? We all inhabit cities, but what do they mean to us? What do we mean to them? Is the city a real thing in the twenty-first century? How do we integrate their pasts to their futures? What are the threats facing cities in the western world? These are just some of the questions posed by the fascinating studies in this book. Through essays, poems, psychogeography, short stories and more, an array of today's leading writers and thinkers join together to look at cities in the western world. Focussing on two former industrial heartlands of Glasgow and Pittsburgh, this international and diverse collection is asking the big questions and getting the most creative answers. From Will Self's psychogeography of Glasgow to National Book Award winner Terrance Hayes', in his first UK publication, stunning poetry, this collection will make you think, feel, fear and fight for what part cities play in our daily lives. Bold, diverse and daring, these pieces are a must for anyone who cares about where we live and what it means to live in the urban sprawl of now.