Selected Poems

I've owned this collection for nearly twenty years, and even for favourite poetry, this has proved to be outstanding value for money. There are so many poems here, you can dive right in or just have a little dip occasionally. His is a very strong poetic voice, and his biggest feature is his heart. He can be intellectual, erudite and even arcane, but too much of this gets him teetering on the pretentious and sometimes you even think he's teasing you with his great breadth of themes and subjects and his strong knowledge of linguistics and love for classial verse and classical history. But he will always lead you back to warmer waters with his homely Yorkshire heart.

I don't think his reputation is as strong as it was twenty years ago. In fact it unquestionably isn't. 'Blasphemer's Banquet' in the early nineties seemed to leave a few people cold, those who probably confused his message somewhat because of the strong unrepentant tone. That though, was always Harrison's strength: His passion and heart. But on occasions it was a little too direct for some of the softer poetry lovers. 'V' also divided opinion and made big impressions both positive and nagative. This one super poem should never be regarded as his finest work, however much it spoke for an unrepresented section of society.

But the biggest threat to his reputation now, has to be the current taste, or trend in poetry. Quite honestly, these days this T.H. is about as modern in his style as another: Thomas Hardy. Harrison's modern themes and subjects and his earthy language are as street cred as any young poet's today, but his consistent use of verse is most definitely passe'. It's a shame, and I hope it doesn't tempt him into trying his hand at the very loose free verse/prose poetry form that seems to be the prevailing fashion now, but I shouldn't think it would: He has a strong Yorkshire stubborn streak in him, does Tony. He should proudly keep up the old (cloth) hat.

From the Heart (3/3 people found this helpful)

Poetry is difficult. There. Said it. And you need to persevere to discover its true meaning and worth.

Yet, Harrison is one of many exceptions to these pre set ideas.

In this book (especially in the School of Eloquence sequence) there is a wealth of genuinely accessible poetry about loss, community, and familial relationships. Whilst, at its core, there is the heart rending, and on-going story, of the scholarship boy displaced from his home, his family and his class by his education.

If you get the chance, try Book Ends, a beautiful sonnet about the uneasy relationship between a father and son and the gulf that exists between them following the death of the mother / wife. And you would have to possess a hard heart indeed not to be touched by the gently moving Long Distance.

Excellent, truely. (1/1 people found this helpful)

This book fell into my lap very recently and I've already fallen in love with it. There is such a personal element to the peotry of his family - he defines his fathers character which makes me see what a man he was and also see such characteristics mirrored in my own father.

An excellent book, truely wonderful, I'm glad it's among my collection.

Very Nice poems (0/3 people found this helpful)

Had to study this poem book for my A/S level. The poems are very nice and this made it altogether a painless experience, I even go back to reading it even tho Ive finished my English course! ;0

Pure indulgence. (21/26 people found this helpful)

I've had this book for more than a year now, and despite having read every poem many times, this selection of Harrison's work has gained itself a distinguished place on the bedside table, and I still find myself dipping into it again and again to steal another dose of the pleasure. The poems are extremely accessible and the beauty of them lies in their simplicity. Harrison has the ability to portray the emotions and events of life in simple language yet with immeasurable clarity which one is immediately able to associate with. His poems wholly rely upon the response of the reader and this leads to the poems themselves being staggeringly simple but portraying things that could not be put into words on endless pages of prose.

Tony Harrison

Reader Reviews:

Very rich, very personal, very strong verse (0/0 people found this helpful)

From the Heart (3/3 people found this helpful)

Excellent, truely. (1/1 people found this helpful)

Very Nice poems (0/3 people found this helpful)

Pure indulgence. (21/26 people found this helpful)

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