Homework

£11.99

In this work, Geoff Dyer reflects on his childhood and what it means to come of age in England in the 60s and 70s, in a country shaped by the aftermath of the Second World War but accelerating towards change. He was born in Cheltenham in the late fifties, the only child of a dinner lady and a planning engineer. Raised in a working-class area, Geoff and his mates found much joy recreating battles with their beloved Tommy guns, kicking a beachball around until its untimely death, and collecting anything and everything they could find; football cards, conkers and Action Man figures. When Geoff passes his 11-plus exams he gets in to a Cheltenham Grammar School, a school which drastically changes the trajectory of his life.

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SKU: 9781837262014 Category: Tags: , , , Publisher/imprint : Canongate
Page count : 304
Published on 21st May, 2026

Description

Born in 1958, the only child of a dinner lady and a sheet-metal worker, Geoff Dyer grew up in a world shaped by the Second World War. It was a time of Airfix models and wargames, conkers and frugality: having splurged on a mono record player, Geoff’s dad discovers it’s a portal to endless expenditure and funding for records is abruptly withdrawn.

But far from being a story of hardship overcome, Homework is a celebration of opportunities afforded to Dyer’s generation. A grammar-school education leads to books, prog rock (on a new stereo), girls, beer and, eventually, a place at Oxford.

In Homework, Dyer returns to his early life and asks what it means to live through an era of complex social transformation.

Additional information

Weight 0.212 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 1.8 cm
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