Barry MacSweeney's last book, The Book of Demons, recorded his fierce
fight against alcoholism as well as the great love of those who helped
save his life - though only for three more years. When he died in 2000,
he had just assembled a retrospective of his work. Wolf Tongue is his
own selection, with the addition of the two late books which many regard
as his finest work, Pearl and The Book of Demons. Most of his poetry was
out-of-print, and much had never been widely published. The title is
his. The cover picture, he hunted down himself. Wolf Tongue is how he
wanted to be known and remembered.