Synopsis
John Cooper Clarke may have an honorary doctorate and a poem on the English Literature GCSE syllabus, but don’t let that fool you: the ‘Poet Laureate of Punk’ is still a bona fide iconoclast. In Have It, a collection of scathing new poems, the Bard of Salford puts his pen to work across a host of painfully funny critiques of modern life.
Praise for John Cooper Clarke
‘A rhymer to be reckoned with . . . with a panache contemporary poets should aspire to and respect’ The Sunday Times
‘John Cooper Clarke uses words like Chuck Berry uses guitar riffs melody and anger, humour and disdain in equal measure. He’s the real deal, really funny and really caustic, the velvet voice of discontent’ Kate Moss
‘John Cooper Clarke is one of Britain’s outstanding poets. His anarchic punk poetry has thrilled people for decades . . . long may his slender frame and spiky top produce words and deeds that keep us on our toes and alive to the wonders of the world’ Sir Paul McCartney
Details
01 October 2026
9781037404191Reviews
A big-hearted poet of boundless humour and unmistakable style
A rhymer to be reckoned with . . . with a panache contemporary poets should aspire to and respect
A primordial gift for language
I say to people, “Have you heard of John Cooper Clarke?” and if they say, “Yes, yeah he’s an absolute genius” and you just go, “Oh – OK, you’ve saved me a lot of time.
