A Theatre for Dreamers

Publisher details

Author
Polly Samson
Publisher
Bloomsbury
Genre
Fiction
Released
15 April, 2020
ISBN
9781526600561

A Theatre for Dreamers

Buy now

Retail partners

Synopsis

1960. The world is dancing on the edge of revolution, and nowhere more so than on the Greek island of Hydra, where a circle of poets, painters and musicians live tangled lives, ruled by the writers Charmian Clift and George Johnston, troubled king and queen of bohemia. Forming within this circle is a triangle: its points the magnetic, destructive writer Axel Jensen, his dazzling wife Marianne Ihlen, and a young Canadian poet named Leonard Cohen.Into their midst arrives teenage Erica, with little more than a bundle of blank notebooks and her grief for her mother. Settling on the periphery of this circle, she watches, entranced and disquieted, as a paradise unravels.Burning with the heat and light of Greece, A Theatre for Dreamers is a spellbinding novel about utopian dreams and innocence lost – and the wars waged between men and women on the battlegrounds of genius.

Reviews

Take a Break From the Ordinary and Read an Extract from A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson

Review | Extract

29 April 2020

Take a Break From the Ordinary and Read an Extract from A Theatre for Dreamers by Polly Samson

    Polly Samson's A Theatre for Dreamers is a Spellbinding Read

    Review | Our Review

    27 April 2020

    Polly Samson's A Theatre for Dreamers is a Spellbinding Read

      Polly Samson
      About the author

      Polly Samson

      Polly Samson is the author of two short story collections and two previous novels. Her work has been shortlisted for numerous prizes, translated into several languages and has been dramatised on BBC Radio 4. Her novel The Kindness was named Book of the Year by The Times and Observer. She has written lyrics for four Number One albums, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature.

      Books by Polly Samson

      Related articles

      PODCAST: Francesca Albanese on War and Power

      Podcast

      1 June 2026

      PODCAST: Francesca Albanese on War and Power

        PODCAST: Dervla McTiernan on Ruthless Editing and Finding Home in Australia

        Podcast

        25 May 2026

        PODCAST: Dervla McTiernan on Ruthless Editing and Finding Home in Australia

          What Should You Read Next? Let WAYR? The App Decide

          News

          19 May 2026

          What Should You Read Next? Let WAYR? The App Decide

            The Best Podcast Episodes You’ll Find on WAYR? The App

            News | Events & Festivals

            19 May 2026

            The Best Podcast Episodes You’ll Find on WAYR? The App

            How to Download What Are You Reading? The App

            News

            19 May 2026

            How to Download What Are You Reading? The App

            PODCAST: Antoinette Lattouf on Books, Battles and Breaking Barriers

            Podcast

            18 May 2026

            PODCAST: Antoinette Lattouf on Books, Battles and Breaking Barriers

              3 Reasons Why You Should Read The Farmer's Pyjamas by Ruth Paul

              News

              11 May 2026

              3 Reasons Why You Should Read The Farmer's Pyjamas by Ruth Paul

              Q&A: Judith Katherine, Author of Simply Beside Herself

              News | Author Related

              11 May 2026

              Q&A: Judith Katherine, Author of Simply Beside Herself

                PODCAST: Ann Mossop on the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival

                Podcast

                11 May 2026

                PODCAST: Ann Mossop on the 2026 Sydney Writers’ Festival

                  The Culture of WAYR? The App

                  News

                  6 May 2026

                  The Culture of WAYR? The App

                    COMMENTS

                    Leave a Reply

                    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *