How to Start Reading Clare Pollard
Clare Pollard is a remarkably versatile writer whose career spans poetry, novels, plays, children's literature, and translation. Because she does not write serialized fiction, there is no single multi-book narrative you need to follow. Instead, your best starting point depends entirely on what kind of reader you are:
- For Fiction Lovers: Start with her debut adult novel, Delphi (2022). It is a fast-paced, witty, and highly relatable exploration of pandemic lockdown anxieties, told through the eyes of a classics professor who becomes obsessed with ancient prophecies and oracles.
- For Historical and Folklore Fans: Start with The Modern Fairies (2024). This historical novel transports readers to the 17th-century French court of Louis XIV, exploring the salons of Madame d'Aulnoy where intellectual women gathered to write and share the very first fairy tales.
- For Non-Fiction and Book History Enthusiasts: Start with Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children's Picture Books (2019). Part memoir, part literary analysis, it is a fascinating dive into the history, psychology, and hidden dark corners of classic children's stories like Peter Rabbit and Babar.
- For Poetry Readers: Start with Ovid's Heroines (2013), her bold, feminist modern translation/version of Ovid's Heroides, giving passionate, contemporary voices to the forgotten women of classical mythology. Alternatively, start at the very beginning with her raw teenage debut collection, The Heavy-Petting Zoo (1998).
- For Younger Readers (Middle Grade): Start with The Untameables (2024), a fun and clever reimagining of the Arthurian legends from the perspective of the kitchen maids, dog-boys, and underdogs.
Fiction & Children's Books
Pollard's shift into novel writing has allowed her to expand her characteristic focus on mythology and domestic life into longer narratives. They can all be read as complete standalones:
Delphi (2022)
Set during the 2020 lockdowns, this debut novel centers on a classics professor living in London. Struggling with a stalling marriage, a screen-addicted son, and the global anxiety of a pandemic, she turns to ancient fortune-telling methods (such as prophecy, dreams, and animal bones) to try to predict the future. It is a sharp, satirical, yet deeply emotional portrait of modern dread.
The Modern Fairies (2024)
Set in Paris in 1682, this novel follows a group of poets and aristocrats who gather in salon rooms to spin magical tales of princesses, beasts, and fairies. Behind the courtly games lies a world of political intrigue, forbidden desires, and female agency. Pollard beautifully blends the history of the fairy tale genre with the complex realities of 17th-century womanhood.
The Untameables (2024)
Her children's debut turns the traditional Arthurian romance on its head. Instead of focusing on noble knights like Lancelot, it features Arthur's hound-boy Rooster, a kitchen maid named Scurvy, and a mistreated dog named Mutt. Together, this unlikely trio embarks on a quest to save the legendary realm, offering a brilliant, decolonized look at folklore for younger readers.
The Othernauts (2026)
Co-created with illustrator Macha Yao, this middle-grade adventure is a humorous, energetic retelling of the myth of Jason and the Argonauts. The story follows three young outcasts—Phoebe, Perry, and Cora—who trail behind the famous heroes, discovering that myth-making is rarely as simple as the legends claim.
Poetry Collections
Pollard first made her name as a poet. Her collections are highly autobiographical and reflect the phases of her life, making them best read in publication order to appreciate her development as an artist:
- The Heavy-Petting Zoo (1998): Written while she was still a teenager in Bolton, this raw and confessional debut tackles adolescence, sex, alcohol, and late-90s consumer culture. It earned her an Eric Gregory Award and instant critical acclaim.
- Bedtime (2002): Her second collection explores the transition into young adulthood, detailing relationships, disillusionment, and the search for security in an increasingly complex world.
- Look, Clare, Look! (2005): Written during a year spent traveling around the world, this collection acts as a poetic travelogue, confronting global inequalities, tourism, and personal reflection.
- Changeling (2011): A transitional work that weaves folklore, changeling myths, and fairy tales with themes of marriage, pregnancy, and modern motherhood. It was a Poetry Book Society Recommendation.
- Ovid's Heroines (2013): A translation of Ovid's letters from abandoned mythical women (like Ariadne, Medea, and Dido) to their lovers, rewritten in a modern, conversational, and fiercely feminist tone.
- Incarnation (2017): This powerful collection focuses on the history of childhood, toys, fairy tales, and the intense, complex anxieties of raising children in a world threatened by climate change and political instability.
- Lives of the Female Poets (2025): Her sixth major collection, expanding on her 2019 pamphlet. It serves as a direct response to Samuel Johnson's historic, all-male Lives of the Poets, offering lyrical portraits of forgotten female writers throughout history.
Other Notable Works: Plays, Non-Fiction & Translations
Pollard's creative output also includes experimental theatrical work, insightful literary history, and collaborative translation projects:
The Weather (2004)
Her debut play, performed at the Royal Court Theatre, is a dark comedy about a dysfunctional family living in a house where the weather inside changes according to their turbulent emotional states. It remains a fascinating companion piece to her poetry's focus on domestic anxiety.
Fierce Bad Rabbits: The Tales Behind Children's Picture Books (2019)
In this non-fiction book, Pollard investigates why the stories we read to children are so filled with danger, dark morality, and hidden meaning. It is a highly readable combination of literary criticism and parental memoir that will change how you look at books like The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Goodnight Moon.
The Sea-Migrations (Tahriib) (2017)
A notable translation project, Pollard worked alongside Said Jama Hussein and Maxamed Xasan "Alto" to translate the Somali poems of Asha Lul Mohamud Yusuf. The dual-language collection was named the Sunday Times Poetry Book of the Year and won a PEN Translates award, highlighting Pollard's commitment to global poetry exchange.
Chronological Publication Order
If you want to read through Clare Pollard's complete bibliography in the exact order the books were published, follow this comprehensive checklist:
- The Heavy-Petting Zoo (Poetry, 1998)
- Bedtime (Poetry, 2002)
- The Weather (Play, 2004)
- Look, Clare, Look! (Poetry, 2005)
- Changeling (Poetry, 2011)
- Ovid's Heroines (Poetry / Translation, 2013)
- *The Sea-Migrations* (Translation, 2017)
- Incarnation (Poetry, 2017)
- Fierce Bad Rabbits (Non-Fiction, 2019)
- Delphi (Novel, 2022)
- The Untameables (Children's, 2024)
- The Modern Fairies (Novel, 2024)
- Lives of the Female Poets (Poetry, 2025)
- The Othernauts (Children's, 2026)