Paul Morley grew up in Reddish (a real place)… and has always thought of himself as a northerner without really knowing what it meant. This book is his “journey” (without sounding too southern about it) of self- and regional- discovery. From Wordsworth’s poetry, Larkin’s reflections and Formby’s ukulele he seeks to show that northern-ness goes deeper than just t’accent.

Morley wants The North to be seen as ” a great original piece of writing… (but not) so experimental that you alienate an audience.” Come and judge if this is northern soul or soft-southern identity politics.