English singer-songwriter PJ Harvey announced that she will be releasing her first book, “The Hollow of the Hand”.
“The Hollow of the Hand” is a 224-page book of poetry and images that Harvey created in collaboration with Irish photographer and videographer Seamus Murphy. It chronicles the authors’ respective journeys around the world to various places – such as Washington, D.C., Kosovo, and Afghanistan – between 2011 and 2014. And, this book is the second time these two artists have worked together, as they also paired up for a series of 12 short films that were inspired by Harvey’s eighth studio album, Let England Shake, according to Pitchfork.
Pitchfork also reported that Harvey stated the following about how The Hollow of the Hand came to fruition, in a press release.
“Gathering information from secondary sources felt too far removed for what I was trying to write about. I wanted to smell the air, feel the soil and meet the people of the countries I was fascinated with. My friend Seamus Murphy and I agreed to grow a project together – I would collect words, he would collect pictures, following our instincts on where we should go.”
The New Yorker published one of Harvey’s poems, “The Guest Room”, in recent article. In addition to the text, The New Yorker also included a SoundCloud stream of Harvey reading her composition out loud.
The Guest Room
By PJ Harvey“One gray dove circles the ruins.
A jet heads to the base.A boy sings to the bird.
He carries a blue gas cannister.Where shall I go?
I have no home.I had a place
but guests cameand they remained.
Where shall I go?He leads us through the village.
One cockerel. A pile of shoesoutside a curtained door.
We sit on orange cushions.Children bring us tea and bread.
I wish we had brought gifts.I hope we know when to leave.”
“The Hollow of the Hand” is due out in the U.K. on October 8th, 2015. And, for our readers in the States, Harvey and Murphy’s collaborative book is to be released on October 20th, 2015, via Bloomsbury Circus.
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