Literature Wales Newsletter
The Writers of Wales Database
HUGHES, JEREMY
Email: jeremy.hughes@kellogg.oxon.org
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Poet and novelist. Jeremy was born in Crickhowell and brought up in Risca. He served an apprenticeship as a carpenter and joiner before studying at the Universities of Bangor, Swansea and Oxford. He was one of the first students to study for the Master’s in Creative Writing at Oxford, from which he graduated with distinction.
He spent time living in Spain before teaching in sixth form colleges in Hampshire, Monmouthshire and Shropshire. His poetry has been included in A Level examination anthologies and textbooks. He has worked as a senior examiner for A Level specifications and now serves as an advisor. Jeremy was awarded first prize in the Poetry Wales competition and was shortlisted for an Eric Gregory award. He reviews for the US based magazine, Oranges and Sardines.
Reviews:
With respect to Breathing for All My Birds (The Dovetail Press, 2000)
“…I particularly liked his poems dealing with men caught up in war…”
Meic Stephens, Western Mail
With respect to the poem 'The Nurse of the Man in the Pink Pyjamas', awarded first prize in the Poetry Wales competition
With respect to the poem 'The Nurse of the Man in the Pink Pyjamas', awarded first prize in the Poetry Wales competition
“…The outright winner was top of both our lists, and some other powerful pieces from the same writer confirmed our choice…This poem carefully balances a sense of disgust and a poignant tenderness to achieve its powerful effects. The description is taut and totally convincing, and the sentiment humane without a trace of the maudlin. The language and stabbing rhythm moves from the blunt 'armpit/and arse-/hole' to the surprising and genuinely mellifluous 'combing the long grey hair over the pillow'. Here there is a strong sense of discovery, for the nurse in the poem, for the poet and for the reader…”
Hilary Llewellyn Williams and Lloyd Rees, Poetry Wales
Hilary Llewellyn Williams and Lloyd Rees, Poetry Wales
With respect to Dovetail (Alcemi, 2011)
“…A subtly daring format and an easy, hypnotic style, at once tense and uncommon...”
John Ballam, Oxford University
"...There’s a compelling inevitability that drives the novel on like a train on a track but enough suspense and surprise to make you wonder if it will ever reach its destination. And when it does arrive, it’s not quite the place you expected when you climbed on board... The triumph of this novel is in the way it marries a portrayal of perfectionism with the dark compulsion of obsession. It’s a compulsive read and a chilling character study of a most unusual, and yet readily comprehensible individual...a remarkable first novel that keeps you turning the page and leaves a lasting impression."
Steve Dubé, Western Mail
Steve Dubé, Western Mail
“...If you’ve ever fantasised about someone who has wronged you getting their just deserts then this impressive debut novel by Jeremy Hughes should be right up your street...a tale devised by an original mind and told in tight, well-crafted prose. We know from the start that Tim intends to kill. That Hughes still holds the reader’s attention until the final shattering revelation is a tribute to his skill."
Anita Jardine, Daily Express
Anita Jardine, Daily Express
"...It is an intriguing mixture of wood-working tips, fine art, ornithology and murder...the information is drip-fed, so that readers can make connections for themselves...handled with a great degree of skill...the novel is very well crafted, and offers an astute insight into the mind of someone driven to murder by the actions of others. It can easily withstand comparison to works such as Iain Banks's The Wasp Factory (and maybe even Use of Weapons, given the character of the Chairmaker), as well as Bret Easton Ellis's American Psycho. It shows Hughes...to be equally capable of writing a good story."
Will Slocombe, Planet
Selected Publications:
Breathing for All My Birds (The Dovetail Press, 2000)
The Woman Opposite (The Dovetail Press, 2004)
Dovetail (Alcemi, 2011)
Contributed to:
Contributed to:
Living Literature: Linking Texts (contributor) (Hodder, 2000)
Living Literature: Reading Poetry (contributor) (Hodder, 2001)
Love, Corgi Series No 8 (contributor) (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2003)
Landscapes, Corgi Series No 20 (contributor) (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2004)
Work, Corgi Series No 16 (contributor) (Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 2004)
A Level English Language & Literature Specification Anthology (contributor) (AQA, 2008)
University of Oxford Creative Writing Anthology (contributor) (OUP, 2008)
A Level English Language & Literature Specification Anthology (contributor) (AQA, 2010)
Dovetail (Alcemi, 2011)
Attacked as a boy by bullies, Tim is left with the most serious loss he will face as a man. As a man he is out to revenge himself one by one on the gang by enacting the perfect murder with the perfect killing machine. But first of all he must become a supreme craftsman. Then he must practise. A psychological thriller, set in Spain and south-east Wales, on obsession and the far-reaching evils of perfectionism.
To purchase this title from amazon.co.uk, please click on its front cover
To purchase this title from amazon.co.uk, please click on its front cover
The portrait of Jeremy above is by award-winning artist Paul Handley NEAC. Contact: paulhandleyart@yahoo.co.uk