Real Cardiff 3

In the seven years since Peter Finch wrote Real Cardiff the city has changed enormously, especially in the centre and Cardiff Bay, where the latest phases of development are coming to fruition. Post-industrial Cardiff is one of the themes of the final volume in the Real Cardiff trilogy as Finch observes the new city and continues on his authorial dig through the places and people who made the city what it is but have now disappeared.

At one end of Finch's new map of the city lies an inspection of St David's Two, the new shopping development; St David's Five Star, the luxurious 'winged' hotel in the Bay; the apartments lining the Taff and the barrageheld lagoon; the barrage itself; the Senedd, and Dr Who's Cardiff time travel. At the other, time-travelled, end are places which shaped the past or have now disappeared: the race course; Whitchurch Castle; the old barracks; Lower Splott, catching trains on the city's lost railways; and exploring the mystery of Roath brook.

The mix of present and past is a rich one which leads Finch on a fascinating journey of pathos and comedy, nostalgia and blistering contemporary commentary in another volume that's sure to be as popular and well received as the first two.

Peter Finch is a poet, author and critic who lives in Cardiff. He is author of the hugely popular Seren titles Real Cardiff and Real Cardiff Two. His numerous poetry titles include Useful, Poems for Ghosts and Food from Seren. A former publisher and bookseller, he is now Chief Executive of the Welsh Academy, the Welsh Literature Promotion Agency and Society of Writers.