Michael Murphy’s poetry is an engaging and disarming expression of his distilled truth. At once accessible and profound, his poems speak to our experience of trying to make the best of modern life, while at the same time acknowledging the obstacles it throws in our path. In The Ministry of Dreams, Michael explores diverse themes around birth, death, sex, politics, religion and our struggle with language, always returning to his steadfast belief in the power of love. These deeply resonant and heartfelt poems reveal his love for his partner, for friends, for relatives who have died, for Spain and for his chocolate Labrador, Toga. Love permeates this collection, moving the heart with its depth and warmth and appealing to the mind with its wisdom and forgiveness of human nature.The Ministry of Dreams gathers Michael Murphy’s previous poetry – originally published as The Republic of Love (2013) and A Chaplet of Roses (2015) – and presents them in one volume for the first time, alongside these vibrant and important new poems.