When his partner suddenly died, life changed utterly for Paul Stephenson. 'Hard Drive' is the outcome of his revisiting a world he thought he knew, but which had been upended. In poems that are affectionate, self-examining, sometimes funny and often surprised by grief in the oddest corners, the poet takes us through rooms, routines, and rituals of bereavement, the memory of love, a shared life and separation. A noted formalist, with a flair for pattern and procedural writing, Stephenson has written a remarkable first book, moving and, despite everything, a hopeful record of a gay relationship. It is also a landmark elegy collection.

'Hard Drive' was written over six years, following the sudden death of Stephenson’s long-term partner who he met at university before moving together to London. The book tells the story of a bereavement in very practical terms, the poet negotiating the practicalities of death, the people involved and those left behind, including friends nearby and family overseas.

The first half of the book adopts a linear chronology, as the poet attends to the formalities of burial, cremation, clearance and storage, while the second part goes back in time to explore first love, a same-sex relationship and starting out together, and the tensions therein. Many of the poems take place in London but include European travel from Portugal to Georgia, and America. While some poems adopt traditional forms, others are experimental, playing with – and making – language. A risk-taking book of seriousness and humour, of anger, guilt and regret, but also, ultimately, of love and hope. A book whose poems challenge the reader’s own emotional response on every page.