Kate Tempest

Kae Tempest is a British spoken word performer, poet, recording artist, novelist, and playwright known for their powerful and emotive work that often explores themes of identity, society, and personal struggle.

This list of books are ONLY the books that have been ranked on the lists that are aggregated on this site. This is not a comprehensive list of all books by this author.

  1. 1. Hold Your Own

    This compelling collection of poetry weaves together themes of identity, transformation, and the human experience through the lens of the myth of Tiresias, the blind prophet of Greek mythology. The poems explore the fluidity of gender, the passage of time, and the search for self-understanding, drawing parallels between ancient tales and contemporary life. With raw emotion and vivid imagery, the work invites readers to reflect on their own journeys of self-discovery and the societal constructs that shape our perceptions of who we are.

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  2. 2. The Bricks That Built The Houses

    Three young Londoners flee the city with a suitcase of cash, and the narrative rewinds through their intertwined pasts to show how love, ambition, and economic pressure pulled them together and pushed them toward crime. Moving through estates, cafes, and clubs, it paints a lyrical, unsentimental portrait of working-class lives in South London as they navigate gentrification, family legacies, and the hard choices between staying put and striking out.

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