The Oasis by Charles Lang
Pulsing with the energy of urban life, these poems traverse the gritty, playful and tender moments that shape our lives. From the thrill of evading the police in ‘The Chase’ to the nostalgia of ‘New Shoes’ and the sheer abandon of ‘The Amusements’, we are pulled deep into a world where chaos and community intersect. With a clarion and uncompromising voice, Charles Lang maps a labyrinth of memories, blending sharp wit with darker undercurrents as he explores identity, masculinity, class and ecology.
Whether reflecting on family, friendships or fleeting moments of euphoria, Lang offers an authentic snapshot of working-class lives, where beauty is found in both the mundane and the extraordinary; in the human and the more-than-human. A sonorous celebration of language and place, The Oasis is a vivid ode to the city’s streets and stories, a testament to resilience and belonging.
Pulsing with the energy of urban life, these poems traverse the gritty, playful and tender moments that shape our lives. From the thrill of evading the police in ‘The Chase’ to the nostalgia of ‘New Shoes’ and the sheer abandon of ‘The Amusements’, we are pulled deep into a world where chaos and community intersect. With a clarion and uncompromising voice, Charles Lang maps a labyrinth of memories, blending sharp wit with darker undercurrents as he explores identity, masculinity, class and ecology.
Whether reflecting on family, friendships or fleeting moments of euphoria, Lang offers an authentic snapshot of working-class lives, where beauty is found in both the mundane and the extraordinary; in the human and the more-than-human. A sonorous celebration of language and place, The Oasis is a vivid ode to the city’s streets and stories, a testament to resilience and belonging.
Pulsing with the energy of urban life, these poems traverse the gritty, playful and tender moments that shape our lives. From the thrill of evading the police in ‘The Chase’ to the nostalgia of ‘New Shoes’ and the sheer abandon of ‘The Amusements’, we are pulled deep into a world where chaos and community intersect. With a clarion and uncompromising voice, Charles Lang maps a labyrinth of memories, blending sharp wit with darker undercurrents as he explores identity, masculinity, class and ecology.
Whether reflecting on family, friendships or fleeting moments of euphoria, Lang offers an authentic snapshot of working-class lives, where beauty is found in both the mundane and the extraordinary; in the human and the more-than-human. A sonorous celebration of language and place, The Oasis is a vivid ode to the city’s streets and stories, a testament to resilience and belonging.
About the Author
Charles Lang is from Glasgow. His poems have appeared in numerous publications including Poetry Ireland Review, The Poetry Review and The Stinging Fly. He was selected for the Poetry Ireland Introductions series in 2022. In 2024, he was Ciaran Carson Writing and the City Fellow at the Seamus Heaney Centre, Queen’s University Belfast, and was shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award.
Praise for The Oasis
“You’re stopped by the voice in these poems. Lang’s Glaswegian idiom is easefully natural, versatile, and a thrilling pleasure to read. But more than that, the deftness of his verse – in its formal dynamism, psychological subtlety, and tonal range – is hugely accomplished. Sharpness of detail, working class experience, and rootedness in the local, in these poems, deliver a generous, nuanced, conceptually ambitious and emotionally powerful effect. This debut collection announces Charles Lang as one of the best new poets in Scotland.”
— Alan Gillis
“The Oasis is a breathtaking debut—boldly crafted with raw honesty and a captivating quest for beauty in every corner. It challenges in its ways of surveying, which are both kind and enthralling. This collection is a remarkable achievement in connecting our inner and outer lives. Formally brilliant and perfectly paced, it feels like an exercise in refining our ways of being.”
— Supriya Kaur Dhaliwal
“These poems opened like windows to the streets of my own childhood. The music in the language is succinct and vibrant. The urban experience is brought to life in this collection. A rare perspective indeed.”
— William Letford
“The Oasis is rich in Glaswegian vernacular and full of an ebullient brand of urbanity. These are poems of youth, rich in youth’s grandeur and urge towards the casually ceremonial. […] There’s something joy-making about a book like this, its enthusiasm and willingness to ‘write through fear’, as well as its suggestions of what else is to come ...”
— Declan Ryan in The Irish Times
Publisher: Skein Press
Date Published: 1 March 2025
Paperback, 60 pages
ISBN: 9781915017161
