MATTHEW HOLLIS was born in Norwich in 1971. Ground Water (Bloodaxe, 2004) was shortlisted for the Guardian First Book Award, the Whitbread Prize for Poetry and the Forward Prize for Best First Collection. He is co-editor of 101 Poems Against War (Faber, 2003) and Strong Words: Modern Poets on Modern Poetry (Bloodaxe, 2000), and editor of Selected Poems of Edward Thomas (Faber, 2011). Now All Roads to France: the Last Years of Edward Thomas (Faber, 2011) is his first prose book.

‘Hollis writes a knowing, lyrical poetry set against a landscape of big skies and battened-down horizons. He combines worldly wisdom with more detailed, vernacular understanding to produce poems that speak with a sense of purpose and place.’

Simon Armitage

Forthcoming Events + News

New poem in New Statesman

‘The Staithe’ has been published in New Statesman, 12 December 2011

Now All Roads Lead to France shortlisted for Costa Biography Award

NOW ALL ROADS LEAD TO FRANCE: The Last Years of Edward Thomas has been shortlisted for the Costa Biography Award. For details click here

Now All Roads Lead to France wins H. W. Fisher Best First Biography Prize

NOW ALL ROADS LEAD TO FRANCE: The Last Years of Edward Thomas has won the Biographers’ Club H. W. Fisher Best First Biography Award. For details click here

BBC Radio 4, Book of the Week, 15-19 August 2011, 9.45am

BBC Radio 4, Book of the Week

Read by Tobias Menzies
Abridged by Richard Hamilton
Produced by Emma Harding

To listen to the broadcast, click here

Publication, 4 August 2011

NOW ALL ROADS LEAD TO FRANCE: The Last Years of Edward Thomas, a biography by Matthew, is published by Faber and Faber on 4 August 2011 simultaneously with his edition of Thomas’s SELECTED POEMS.

Read Matthew’s specially commissioned pieces on the friendship of Edward Thomas and Robert Frost for the Guardian, and on the composition of Thomas’s poem ‘Adlestrop’ in the New Statesman.

Download the Faber podcast and watch Matthew talking about the book here.

Read the first reviews: Sunday Telegraph, Independent, Financial Times, Daily Mail, Guardian, Independent (Selected Poems), New Statesman, Literary Review, Irish Times, Irish Examiner, Daily Telegraph and Guardian (Selected Poems), Herald and Spectator. A summary of comments by the Sunday Times, Independent and Mail on Sunday appears here. Commenteries on Thomas appear in the Irish Independent and Independent.

Now All Roads Lead to France has been recognised with a Royal Society of Literature Jerwood Award for Non-Fiction, and has been shortlisted for the HW Fisher Best First Biography Prize.

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EVENTS

25 May-3 June 2012 (tbc)

CHARLESTON, Sussex
Charleston Literary Festival

Details: Box Office, tel 01273 709709
www.brightonticketshop.com

11-13 May 2012 (tbc)

WELLS-NEXT-THE-SEA, The Maltings, Norfolk
Poetry-next-the-Sea

Details: Box Office, tel 01328 738243
fmfraser@bmkt.freeserve.co.uk
http://www.poetry-next-the-sea.com

12-15 April 2012 (tbc)

CAMBRIDGE, Wordfest, Cambridgeshire
Wordfest

Details: Box Office, tel 01223 515335
admin@cambridgewordfest.co.uk
http://www.cambridgewordfest.co.uk

Saturday 17 March 2012, 11.30am & 3.30pm

ST ANDREWS, Brye Theatre, Fife
StAnza

Round Table (The Green Room, St Leonards Quad, South Street, 11.30am-12.15pm)
In conversation with Joyce McMillan about Edward Thomas and Robert Frost (Byre Theatre, Abbey Street, 3.30-4.30pm)

Details: Box Office, tel 01223 515335
info@stanzapoetry.org
http://www.stanzapoetry.org

Friday 9 March 2012, 3.30pm

KESWICK, Main House, Cumbria
Words by the Water
in association with The Wordsworth Trust

Details: Box Office, tel 017687 74411
http://www.theatrebythelake.co.uk

Thursday, 26 January 2012, 6.30pm

LONDON, The George, The Strand
The Biographers’ Club

Details:
secretary@biographersclub.co.uk
http://www.biographersclub.co.uk

Thursday 24 November 2011, 8pm

WIVENHOE, The Greyhound, Essex
Poetry Wivenhoe
with Philip Terry

Details: Poetry Wivenhoe
chair@poetrywivenhoe.org
http://poetrywivenhoe.org

Monday 21 November 2011, 7pm

LONDON, Kings Place
Robert Frost: A Poet in the City event
with Tim Kendall and Jo Shapcott

Details: Box Office, tel 020 7520 1490
info@kingsplace.co.uk
http://www.kingsplace.co.uk

Saturday 29 October 2011, 3pm & 7.30pm

SWANSEA, Dylan Thomas Centre
Dylan Thomas Festival
A talk on Edward Thomas, and a reading with Simon Armitage

Details: Box Office, tel 01792 463980
http://www.dylanthomas.com

Saturday 15 October 2011, 4.30pm

ILKLEY FESTIVAL, West Yorkshire
Now All Roads Lead to France: Edward Thomas, with Antony Dunn

Details: Box Office, tel 01943 816714
boxoffice@ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk
http://www.ilkleyliteraturefestival.org.uk

Monday 10 October 2011, 5pm

LONDON, Geological Society, Burlington House, Piccadilly
Poetry and Geology: A Celebration
with Alyson Hallett , Michael McKimm, Helen Mort and Penelope Shuttle

Details: Georgina Worrall, tel 020 7434 9944
georgina.worrall@geolsoc.org.uk
http://www.geolsoc.org.uk/geopoetry

Friday 7 October 2011, 6.30pm

CHELTENHAM LITERATURE FESTIVAL, Gloucestershire
The last years of Edward Thomas, with Graeme Rose

Details: box office, tel 01242 505 444
http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/Contact
http://www.cheltenhamfestivals.com/literature

Thursday 22 September 2011, 7.45pm

LONDON, Southbank Centre, Purcell Room
Celebrating Edward Thomas
with Gillian Clakre, Sarah Hall, Michael Longley and Andrew Motion

Details: box office, tel 0844 875 0073
customer@southbankcentre.co.uk
http://ticketing.southbankcentre.co.uk

Wednesday 13 July 2011, 1pm

WAYS WITH WORDS FESTIVAL, Dartington Hall, Devon
A talk on Edward Thomas: HIs Final Five Years

Details: box office, tel 01803 867373
http://www.wayswithwords.co.uk/festivals

Thursday 7 July 2011, 6.45pm

LEDBURY POETRY FESTIVAL, Burgage Hall, Ledbury, Herefordshire
A talk on Edward Thomas

Details: box office, tel 0845 458 1743
http://www.poetry-festival.com

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The Poetry Archive

Matthew’s recording of Ground Water for The Poetry Archive is now available on CD and online. To visit the Archive click here, or to purchase the CD click here.

Trees in the City

In 2007, Lloyd’s of London and Poet in the City commissioned Patience Agbabi, John Burnside and Matthew Hollis to write a suite about climate change. Click here to read or listen to the poems.

The poems have been incorporated into a seating area, made from untreated ‘windblown’ Welsh oak, in Fenchurch Place, adjacent to the station. Click here for a map.