Later Life Letter

Name: Later Life Letter
Price: 45 AUD
Availability: OutOfStock
ISBN: 9780349725215

A story of family, adoption and love

Luke Wright

$45

Hardback

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English

Fleet
12 May 2026

Poetry; Poetry by individual poets; Adoption & fostering

'A really remarkable, deeply moving book' RICHARD CURTIS

'Utterly direct . . . The poems are passionate yet controlled, simple in form and sparing of imagery' FINANCIAL TIMES

'Luke wright and this time it's personal. But seriously, a highly original idea, expertly carried out' JOHN COOPER CLARKE

'I was bawling from the first page and gulped it down in one swift swallow' HOLLIE MCNISH

What is a later life letter? Written by a child's social worker to be opened at an appropriate age, it details their journey from birth to adoption. When Luke Wright received his as a teenager, he didn't think much of it. But now, married to a social worker and seeing the care she takes with these letters, he re-examines his own past - and the life he might have had.

Should he feel close to the biological brothers he knows only through social media? Do his beginnings in a notorious tower-block estate counteract the privilege of a sheltered suburban upbringing? How grateful should he be to adopted parents who are - in the end - simply parents?

In this memoir in poetry, no emotion is simple or expected. Wright writes with pinpoint honesty, teasing out the nuances of family, memory and belonging, and illuminating the gaps in the familiar beats of an adoption story.

'When it comes to poetry, performing and family Luke Wright is a lifer. Read this book' LEMN SISSAY

'Made me laugh, cry, think and shudder' PETE DOHERTY

'Intimate and universal, epic and singular. Beautifully written' JOELLE TAYLOR

'A genius poet - funny, profound, life-changing' JOHANN HARI

By: Luke Wright
Imprint: Fleet
Country of Publication: United Kingdom
Dimensions: Height: 218mm, Width: 138mm, Spine: 14mm
Weight: 200g
ISBN: 9780349725215
ISBN 10: 0349725217
Pages: 80
Publication Date: 12 May 2026
Audience: General/trade , College/higher education , Professional and scholarly , ELT Advanced , Primary
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Luke Wright is a poet and performer who has been touring for nearly 20 years. He's the regular tour support for John Cooper Clarke and often MCs shows for The Libertines. Luke is a regular on Radio 4 and has won a Fringe First for writing, a Stage Award for performance, and four Saboteur Awards. Later Life Letter will be his fifth poetry collection

Reviews for Later Life Letter: A story of family, adoption and love

If the purpose of poetry is to make us bilingual in our own language, Wright succeeds in finding new and beautiful ways of expressing the everyday * Guardian * Luke is a craftsman with a big heart -- Ian McMillan Visceral, poignant and riotously funny * Scotsman * Wright's images are unforgettable, his wry insights are original and his expertly crafted lines sing, gallop and throb with feeling -- James McDermott Wright's performance is human, vulnerable, eminently honest and very, very eloquent * Guardian * Wright's a balladeer for our time -- John Field * Poor Rude Lines * Wright's craft is at this point extraordinarily fine-tuned -- Harry Josephine Giles Luke Wright is a genius poet - funny, profound, life-changing. Read him and rejoice -- Johann Hari