""A poet of the everyday world, he is consistently good"" says Brian Patten. ""I like the humanity, the way his poems seem to be full of real people feeling real emotions"" says Ian McMillan ""He has an ear for popular diction reminiscent of Alan Bennett. His eye for comic fiction reminds me of Roger McGough"" - Bradford Telegraph & Argus

Life Class

Literature & Fiction

Yates, Michael

Poetry

Nettle Books

In this play, young Branwell Bronte, who once ruled an imaginary world, is now a man, grown mad trying to cope with the real one. Having failed as a poet and painter, as doomed in love as he is in literature, he slips ever more quickly down the road of drink, drugs and despair. His loving father Patrick and talented sister Charlotte fight a last-ditch stand for his salvation, but it is Branwell's sinister friend, gravedigger John Brown, who threatens to have the last word in this ultimately terrifying take on the brilliant family we have read so much about and all thought we knew so well. In 2013, The Bronte Society sponsored a new production of The Bronte Boy for performance at the Society's International AGM weekend.

The Bronte Boy

Dramas & Plays

Flying with a Broken Wing tells the true story of a boy growing up in India in turbulent times. Sat Mehta was five years old when he and his family became refugees, caught up in the biggest migration in modern history at the time of Independence. His home was destroyed, his uncle murdered. Once very wealthy farmers, the Mehtas became destitute. Later, Sat suffered a broken arm - complications set in and amputation seemed inevitable. As he lay in hospital, a world famous surgeon, Professor Robert Roaf, strode on to the ward, choosing "hopeless cases" to help. Sat got a second chance. The gratitude he felt for the great man's skill shaped the rest of Sat's life. He qualified as a doctor and arrived in England, where he has lived and worked for 30 years. He says of his life: "It is a story of a disappearing world, sadhus, snakes and baking sun, monkeys, monsoons and riot and murder. As a boy, I saw it all."

Flying with a Broken Wing

Biographies & Memoirs

Mehta, Sat

Professionals & Academics

Three one-act plays by Michael Yates. LIFE SENTENCE: Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned - especially when she has a meat cleaver in her hand A dark comedy about the violent games lovers play. Winner of the Stanley Arnold Trophy at Sheffield One-Act Play Festival. TILL MY EYES BLEED: Loyal Mel hires the theatre to host a wake for his best friend Adrian. But it becomes apparent - to everyone except Mel - that Mels wife had enjoyed a passionate affair with Adrian. Will Mel guess the truth before the end of the night? SUNDAY AFTERNOON AGAIN: Eight-year-old Lenny has two big worries: His mum and dad are always fighting, and theres a wicked witch living next door A poignant play about growing up, chosen for Liverpools Write Now One-Act Play Festival, and described by critic Laurence Raw as "sharply observed... vividly demonstrates how the past exerts a powerful influence over the present."

Short Shorts

Contemporary

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Books by Nettle Books

See the best price to sell, buy or rent books by the Nettle Books publisher. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Life Class

The Bronte Boy

Flying with a Broken Wing

Short Shorts