Ian Curtis (1) (1956–1980)

1980, the year Ian Curtis's suicide brought about the end of Joy Division, was my last year at university. The day the news came out most people I knew could talk of little else. In the 35 years since Joy Division's music has shown remarkable longevity, and not just the one hit, 'Love Will Tear Us Apart', which made the charts in both 1980 and 1983, and has been reissued several times since. But although no Kurt Cobain, Curtis's diction wasn't always clear, and so probably most of us will have been left in confusion as to some of his lines. Here they are in his own scrawl, with corrections, deletions, and additions, set opposite clear typescript, and published by heavyweight poetry house Faber in a design that matches the limited hardback edition of 1981's 'Still' on vinyl. Additional material includes slightly pointless reproductions of the covers of some of his choice of reading, but also of artwork, fan letters, and other marginalia. Is this truly great poetry? Perhaps not, but there's many a resonant line, and for those who had Joy Division permanently on the turntable in 1980, an essential purchase.… (mer)