Diary of a Somebody

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Bilston’s terrific debut is that rare find: a genuinely funny – not to mention bittersweet and clever - comic novel. Imagine a mash-up of John Cooper Clarke, Ed Reardon’s Week and James Joyce, and you’re about halfway there. Whilst that goes by the wayside some days, we are still treated to many poems of the very clever and mostly rhyming variety that I love. Lai gan jaukajā dzejas klubā ir tikpat jaukā Liza, neizbēgt arī no savas darvas piles, un to sauc Tobijs Salts - dzejnieks, kura vēl neiznākušais krājums jau ir nodēvēts par gada dzejas grāmatu (un no kura pāris dzejas rindām jums jau smadzenes saiet ķīselī).

Subtle doesn't work for him so his tentative friendship with Liz, a woman he (literally) dreams about, is a bit slow to get off the ground. Diary of a Somebody is packed with droll puns, whimsical riffs and deft parodies, some of which I was pleased to spot before I realised (deflatingly) that they are all attributed in a list at the end. Rather its his son who is hurt when he forgets his 16th birthday, his employers when he hides his complete incompetence, a mob of suppliers who go unpaid when he wastes all his redundancy money. I still ADORED the poems, and any mention of the cat, and of course the celebration of custard creams.But there is an obstacle to his happiness in the form of Toby Salt, his arch nemesis in the Poetry Group and rival suitor to Liz, Brian’s new poetic inspiration.

He has also published a collection of football poetry, 50 Ways to Score a Goa l (Macmillan, 2021), and his acclaimed poem Refugees (Palazzo, 2019) has been made into an illustrated book for children. In fact, when I picked it up I wasn't entirely sure what to expect even then, only that I loved the idea of the unique concept of it. Despite not having any social media accounts and not being into twitter or tweeter or twatter, the synopsis really appealed to me. It’s January 1st and Brian Bilston is convinced that this year, his New Year’s resolution will change his life. Whether that's putting new work on stages across the world or supporting our outreach and learning programmes, every purchase you make really does make a difference.Otherwise known as the poet laureate of Twitter, he has an uncanny knack of seeing the absurdity in everyday life and then turning it into rhyme. Only in poetry does he find refuge and relief, interlarding diary entries with his mischievous verses, some parodies of pop songs (REM, Bee Gees, Blur), some of actual poems, nearly all of them quotable.