The New Oxford Book of Irish Verse (Oxford paperbacks) - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0192826433 ISBN 13: 9780192826435

Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks, 1989

Synopsis

Verse in Irish, especially from the early and medieval periods, is felt to be the preserve of linguists and specialists, and Anglo-Irish poetry is usually seen as an adjunct to the English tradition. This anthology approaches the tradition as a whole and presents a relationship between two major bodies of poetry that reflects a shared and painful history. This selection is divided into three sections. The first section of the book begins with the earliest verse - pre-Christian poetry in Old Irish - and ends in the 14th century with the first Irish poetry to be created in the English language. The text then progresses from the 14th to the 18th centuries, presenting the age of bardic poetry, the "new" poetry in Irish that followed it, and the era of Swift and Goldsmith. The final section covers the 19th and 20th centuries, from the beggar-poet Raifteiri and his English-language contemporary Thomas Moore, to the works of a number of poets born around the time of Yeats' death.

About this title

Review:

Review from previous edition `the first coherent attempt to present the entire range of Irish poetry in both languages to an English speaking readership ... [a] really magnificent achievement.' Irish Times `For a practical demonstration of the Irishness of Irish poetry...in its many beautiful manifestations, one can turn with confidence to Thomas Kinsella's selection' Financial Times

About the Author:

About the Editor Thomas Kinsella, a poet and translator, is Professor of English at Temple University. He is author, editor, or translator of several volumes of poetry.

About this edition

• Publisher: Oxford Paperbacks
• Publication date: 1989
• ISBN 10: 0192826433
• ISBN 13: 9780192826435
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 453
• Editor: Kinsella Thomas