The Magic Theatre

A new collection from James Harpur, chronicling his time at Trinity College, Cambridge, in the 1970s. Compelling, humorous and poignant, The Magic Theatre is an enthralling rite of passage amid the ‘full catastrophe’ of university life.

1976: just as the Sex Pistols are about to release ‘Anarchy in the U.K.’, James Harpur arrives at Trinity College, Cambridge, to read Classics. As if stepping onstage in the strangest of theatres, he finds himself acting in a play without knowing what his part is to be.

Changing to study English, the poet finds an education in unlikely places: a broken love affair; excruciating meetings with professors (and his father); initiations into Brahms and Rubens; writing a play about computer dating; and gatecrashing May Balls. Compelling, humorous and poignant, The Magic Theatre is an enthralling rite of passage amid the ‘full catastrophe’ of university life.

‘The Magic Theatre is at once an entertainment and a mystical progress, sharp-edged, brilliant, and original. The snakes of Harpur’s Cambridge slither powerfully and fast’—from the forward by PENELOPE BUCKLEY

‘Succeeding Harpur’s award-winning portrayal of boarding school in The Examined Life, these are poems of rare subtlety, of heartbreaking poignancy and laugh-out-loud humour, of pitch-perfect craft and the most marvellous music’— MARK ROPER

UK Delivery:

• Free delivery on all orders of £10 or more.
• £1.49 delivery fee on orders below £10.
• UK orders are shipped via Royal Mail 2nd Class.

International Delivery:

• Flat rate delivery charges vary by country.

Dispatch and Delivery Times:

• All orders are shipped from our warehouse in Northampton, UK within 48 hours of receipt during working hours.
• UK mainland orders typically arrive within 3-5 working days via Royal Mail 2nd Class.
• International estimated delivery times:
• Europe & Channel Islands: 7 to 10 working days
• USA: 7 to 15 working days
• Rest of the World: 9 to 21 working days

View our full delivery infomation here.