James Clarke grew up in the Rossendale Valley, Lancashire, and after living in London and spending time overseas, returned to Manchester, where he now lives. His work has appeared in Ambit, Litro and Northwords Now magazines, and his debut novel, The Litten Path, is forthcoming from Salt.
James Clarke has written a cinematic novel of such heart,
desperation, and as artfully arranged as a Renaissance painting. It
is a fearless portrait of a fearful time, replete with moments of
wonder, love, pain, anger, and hope. The Litten Path is about the
miners’ strike, it is also about the human cost of a system that is
still spiralling wildly out of control. Both an important
historical record and a warning of what’s to come.
*Judge, The Betty Trask Prize*
Clarke moves easily between the registers of class and entitlement,
and poverty and disappointment. The landscape, of which he writes
with relish, is raw and ever-changing. When his enthusiastic use of
imagery works, it is lovely and apposite: a river “golden as chip
fat”, a mouth “heady with lipstick”… A ferocious portrait of a time
and place, The Litten Path is an uneven book but an important
one.
*The Guardian*
Clarke’s description of the Battle of Orgreave is shockingly raw.
The reader can feel the palpitations of Lawrence’s heart as he both
turns in terror from the relentless police charges and channels his
anger and fear onto a nearby camera crew. That powerful description
typifies what's an enlightening and energising socialist novel.
*Morning Star*
It is a big subject to tackle, but Manchester-based writer James
Clarke, who was brought up in the Rossendale Valley in Lancashire,
chose, in what some might say was a brave move, to make it the
setting for his first novel, The Litten Path, published last month.
But Clarke is well up to the challenge – it is an extremely
impressive debut. Set in a south Yorkshire mining village over the
period of the 1984-5 strike, it combines domestic drama with
intelligent, nuanced documentary observation and a pacy,
page-turning plot.
*The Yorkshire Post*
James Clarke has written a novel in a style that is as memorable as
it is unique. This wonderful novel can proudly take its place in
the fiery northern literary renaissance.
*Bookmunch*
The author of this book, The Litten Path, originally from
Rossendale, Lancashire, writes a highly impressive tale. The plot
is pacy, the family saga realistic, and the social commentary
seemingly spot on. Many of the characters are unlikable, but we
somehow invest in them … I can highly recommend this read if you
like gritty honesty in your books.
*Dawn Robinson-Walsh*
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