Eight Types of Love, by Gaynor Kane, is a contemporary exploration through poetry, of the eight categories of love as classified by the ancient Greeks: Ludos, Eros, Mania, Philia, Philautia, Pragma, Storge and Agape. Love is multifaceted and relationships can be complex, even complicated sometimes.
The sequence was written by Gaynor in response to the June 2021 Hedgehog Cult Challenge, which was to write poems that are 'Stories of Love'. The process began with some research around the topic of love and the Greek categories then became the structure around which Gaynor created the stories. Gaynor's mentor, Mary Montague, has endorsed the collection, saying:
"The language is sumptuous or spare, ribald or tender. Threat and loyalty are captured with equal precision, while the humour ranges from tongue-in-cheek to outright hilarity."
These poems, some fictional, others autobiographical, illustrate each type of love and the connections between them, taking the reader on a narrative journey through Eight Types of Love.