Born in Bloomsbury, London, Mew was one of seven siblings; three of whom died when they were children, while two others suffered from mental illness and were committed to institutions. The two remaining siblings, Charlotte and her sister Anne, made a vow of chastity, partly in hopes of avoiding passing these traits on to any potential children. The traumatic experiences Mew grappled with during her childhood- death, mental illness, loneliness, and disillusionment- became themes in her poetry and stories. Constructed around Mew’s writing, ‘His Arms are Full of Broken Things’ brings her work to the reader’s attention. It also shines a light on Mew’s relationship with several literary figures of her time, including Thomas Hardy, who called her the best woman poet of her day, became one of Mew’s patrons and fell madly in love with her. Mew, who throughout most of her adult life wore masculine attire and kept her hair short, adopting the appearance of a dandy, refused to consummate the relationship. After the death of her sister from cancer in 1927, Mew fell into a deep depression and was admitted to a nursing home, where she eventually committed suicide.

In 1981 Carcanet/Virago commissioned the poet Val Warner to edit Mew's poetry and prose for publication, resulting in a "rediscovery" of Mew's work. In a review of the collection, a critic observed that Mew ‘is completely mistress of her instrument, but she does not use it for any but the most austere purpose. ... All that she wrote had its quality of depth and stillness’. In ‘His Arms are Full of Broken Things’, Parris uses the form of an imaginary autobiography to draw new readers towards to the work and life of Charlotte Mew, making it the perfect book to discuss with fellow readers.

Please join us to share your thoughts, ideas, responses to and opinions about P.B Parris’ ‘His Arms are Full of Broken Things’, at our January virtual reading group session on Thursday 28^th January 2021, 4.30-6pm.