Ben Holden Knihy

The ultimate 'bedside book', an anthology of poems, stories, letters to read in anticipation of a good night's sleep

The collection features an extraordinary array of poetry that has deeply resonated with a diverse group of 100 influential individuals, including bestselling authors and renowned poets. Their emotional reactions highlight the profound impact of the verses, showcasing the ability of poetry to evoke strong feelings and connect with readers across various fields. This anthology stands out for its ability to touch the hearts of prominent figures from the arts, sciences, and politics, making it a significant contribution to contemporary literature.

What is your first memory? Or, rather, what do you imagine to be your earliest memory? Perhaps, alternatively, there was a moment during childhood when the world's axis shifted? A transformative realisation, epiphany or experience that changed the course of your life: your very own `sense of a beginning'. In My First Memory, bestselling anthologist Ben Holden explores these touchstones via the watershed experiences of some of the greatest figures of our age. Along the way, he lightly explores how memory and childhood merge to form identity. How, in the process, we not only create individual origin-stories but also, on a broader level, fashion human history. The first memories of iconic figures from Machiavelli to Freud, Einstein to Hawking, Churchill to Luther King, Pankhurst to Angelou, Pavarotti to Springsteen, and Pele to Bolt combine with exclusive, personal pieces by some of today's greatest writers, scientists and thinkers: the likes of Sebastian Barry, Melvyn Bragg, David Eagleman, Susan Greenfield, Tessa Hadley, Javier Marias, Michael Morpurgo and the late Ursula K Le Guin. The trip down memory lane is heightened by the remembrances of refugees: from heroic figures such as Madeleine Albright, Isabel Allende, Alf Dubs, Yusra Mardini, Elie Wiesel and Stefan Zweig to lesser-known but no less courageous voices. Many of these moving accounts tell of children being forced to leave home and family behind forever. They may have grown up to lead inspirational lives but none ever forgot from whence they came. After all, each of us must start somewhere and as this timeless collection unforgettably proves there is always a first time for everything

Following the success of their anthology Poems That Make Grown Men Cry, father-and-son team Anthony and Ben Holden, working with Amnesty International, have asked the same revealing question of 100 remarkable women. What poem has moved you to tears? The poems chosen range from the eighth century to today, from Rumi and Shakespeare to Sylvia Plath, W. H. Auden to Carol Ann Duffy, Pablo Neruda and Derek Walcott to Imtiaz Dharker and Warsan Shire. Their themes range from love and loss, through mortality and mystery, war and peace, to the beauty and variety of nature. From Yoko Ono to Judi Dench, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie to Elena Ferrante, Carol Ann Duffy to Meera Syal, and Joan Baez to Olivia Colman, this unique collection delivers private insights into the minds of women whose writing, acting and thinking are admired around the world.