"Kate Kennedy has written a wonderful book, the first comprehensive account of one of Britain's most misunderstood poets and composers. A keen-eyed critic and literary commentator, she also proves herself a consummate storyteller, piecing out and pulling together the episodes of Gurney's remarkable life and work in flowing, compelling chapters, producing a biography worthy of the thoughtful recognition and generous appraisal that Gurney had hoped for." --Simon Armitage, UK Poet Laureate "This inspiring biography of the poet and composer Ivor Gurney treads carefully and sensitively over a vast terrain of archives and original, unseen work. Reading Dweller in Shadows , I was drawn into the intimate relationship between music and poetry in Gurney's literary and musical imagination. Kate Kennedy allows Gurney to speak for himself--through his poems, letters, and music--and so we hear him speaking directly to us, in the midst of creation."-- Sally Bayley, author of Girl with Dove: A Life Built by Books "A vividly told, impeccably researched, groundbreaking, and transformative account of the complex, painful life of an exceptional English poet and composer." --Hermione Lee, University of Oxford "This engaging biography is without doubt the most comprehensive book on the life and work of Ivor Gurney to date. It is a remarkable achievement.

Dweller in Shadows will be indispensable for those interested in early twentieth-century music and literature." --Ian Venables, composer and Chairman of the Ivor Gurney Society "Ivor Gurney has been too little regarded both as poet and composer. Perhaps the darkness of his mood and consequent instability have left him overshadowed by others who also endured the Great War. But this 'Lover and maker of beauty,' composer of chamber music and songs especially, now takes centre stage in Kate Kennedy's wonderful biography."-- Thomas Allen, opera and concert singer and Chancellor of Durham University "Building on meticulous research, Kate Kennedy writes with deep sympathy and understanding of the complex, talented, and often tormented Ivor Gurney. Her book will deservedly become the standard biography." -- Margaret MacMillan, University of Oxford.