Poet's corner

I've always got a book of poetry on the go; I get most value for money out of them, returning time after time to them. Here is a selection of my favourite anthologies:

Poems on the Underground: an anthology
This is a collection of poems displayed as part of the scheme that gives the book its name. Not only is the poetry great but the presentation of the book makes it a joy to read too. The poems span aeons from Michael Drayton to winners of the current Young Poet of the Year; the emphasis is on the quality of the work. Also of importance, to me, is that all the poems are fairly short, which suits my preference - I don't do epics. You can get a sample of the scheme by visiting the Poetry Society web site by clicking here.




52 Ways of Looking at a Poem: Ruth Padel
Ruth Padel, herself an accomplished poet, wrote a column in The Independent on Sunday newspaper. The purpose of the column was to help readers understand how modern poetry worked. This book is a collection of a year's worth of her column. If you hesitate to appreciate modern poetry this is for you. Ruth takes 52 individual poems and talks you through the way it hangs together, the meanings and suggestion, hidden rhymes and much more.




The Rattle Bag: edited by Seamus Heaney and Ted Hughes
An eclectic collection of poems from around the world, this collection has been around for years. My copy is ancient from the early eighties. It is interesting not only because of who the poems were chosen by, but also because it is deliberately international with many poems in translation. The emphasis is on exploring poetry outside the usual repertoire and it works.



The Making of a Poem: A Norton Anthology of Poetic Forms: Mark Strand and Eavan Boland
Another book about poems. Ever wondered what the rules of poetic form are? No? oh you can stop reading now then; because this book tells you about the formalities and manners of form. You, like me, may have read poems that seem to follow a poetic rhyming scheme, not knowing that it is not simply the invention of the poet but is rather a form laid down years ago requiring great skill. Want to know about a sestina or a sonnet? This is the book for you.

My reading list

I hate describing myself or trying to define myself, consequently my Blogger profile is a bit sparse. I thought it would be more fun to include a list of; and comments about what I'm reading at the moment.

Untold Stories: Alan Bennett

I love Alan Bennett's plays, I particularly liked his Talking Heads, the monologues read by, among others, Patricia Routledge and Thora Hird. The gritty Northern dialogue suits me. It was with that in mind that I started to read Untold Stories and I wasn't dissapointed. The book is autobiographical and features, initially, an account of his upbringing in Leeds and subsequent life as an Oxford student. He has little self pity and views hardship dispassionately.
The middle bit of the book, where I am up to at the moment, is his diaries from 1996 to 2005. They are fascinating and give an insight into how damned clever he is! He talks about art, literature and includes many anecdotes of his peers, again in his frank non-gossipy way. Although much of the in-depth historical and artistic conversation goes right over my head it still makes good reading.
As an undercurrent the diaries are also set against a fascinating political backdrop with his comments reflecting the climate in the UK about many social and political happenings.
Well worth a read.


A Winter Book: Tove Janssen

Please don't ask me what this beautiful book is about!
Do you remember the Moomins? This is a remarkable book of short stories by the woman who created them. She didn't start writing until she was in her fifties and wrote fiction for adults as well as her stories for children.
I can't describe this book adequately. The stories are mainly written from a child's viewpoint and they are about everything and nothing at the same time. Take the first one, the story of a girl who finds a huge rock that is full of silver; enough silver to make her and her family rich. The story tells how she rolls it home and loses it off the balcony where it smashes into bits: that's it; but that's far from it! I've read it three times now and it's different every time.
I can't tell you how or why this writing is so cool: but it is.