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The Aziola’s Cry
A Novel of the Shelleys
By Ezra Harker Shaw
Love, tragedy, and the pursuit of literary greatness intertwine in a tumultuous journey that defies societal norms and tests the resilience of Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin and Percy Bysshe Shelley.
In the year 1814, Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, a gifted teenager born into a family of literary brilliance, falls deeply in love with the youthful rebel, Percy Bysshe Shelley. Defying societal conventions, they embark on a daring escapade, accompanied by Mary's step-sister Claire, leaving behind their respective families and Percy's wife and children. However, their journey proves to be far from an idyllic romance, for it is fraught with tumultuous challenges.
In their quest for freedom and expression, Mary and Percy immerse themselves in experimental notions of free love and join forces with the enigmatic and infamous Lord Byron. Amidst these thrilling encounters and adventures, the young lovers are confronted by heart-wrenching tragedies that test their resilience and resolve.
Driven to elude the strict laws of England, which threaten to separate them from their own children, Mary and Shelley embark on a nomadic existence, wandering through the captivating landscapes of Italy while constantly evading their haunting past. As their circumstances become increasingly dire, their shared passion for writing emerges as the sole lifeline that binds them together. Through their literary endeavors, they become each other's guiding force, ultimately crafting timeless masterpieces that will etch their names into the annals of literary history.
Advance Praise
"Showcasing the author's genuine flair as a novelist for the kind of eloquent narrative driven storytelling that creates truly memorable and deftly crafted literary experiences for the reader, "The Aziola's Cry: A Novel of the Shelleys" will linger in the mind and memory of the reader long after the book itself has been finished and set back upon the shelf."
– Midwest Book Review, Small Press Bookwatch, February 2024
“Harker Shaw shows us the terrible joy of life lived on the very precipice of love and art's volcano. The poetry is here, and the personalities, and the storms – meteorological, social and familial – that readers will expect, but also a historical frame that holds us at enough of a distance that we aren't consumed along with those poor, suffering lovers. And wound through it all they give an innovative poetic dialogue that, in the end, shows us Mary and Bysshe afresh – triumphantly, tragically – as equals in love and words.”
– Jonathan Gibbs, author of The Large Door, and Randal: Or the Painted Grape
About the Author
Born in Scotland and now living in London, Dr. Ezra Harker Shaw is a non-binary writer who loves all things Gothic. While earning their PhD, Harker Shaw explored the collaborative writing of Percy Byssche Shelley and Mary Shelley, a project that led them to write The Aziola’s Cry. A celebrated performance poet, Harker Shaw regularly hosts poetry nights in London and was nominated for the Outspoken Prize for Poetry. Harker Shaw has also showcased their talent as a playwright with works such as Tolstoy Tried to Kill My Partner and The Grouchy Octopus Story, both of which were performed in London by the esteemed Pajoda Theatre Co. Possessing a profound passion for teaching, Harker Shaw often conducts university lectures and workshops with aspiring young writers. To further inspire and educate others, Harker Shaw hosts the Meliorist Writes podcast, where they provide valuable writing tips and engage in insightful interviews with fellow creatives.