Förlagets beskrivning
In a line descended--in more ways than one--from John Dryden to Andrew Motion, the Poets Laureate have produced a body of work that ranges from utterly forgettable posy poesie to memorable poems significant among those defining the form in English. Hilary Laurie's anthology Verses of the Poets Laureate introduces all 19 poets to have held the office since Charles II appointed Dryden to the newly created role in 1668. Chronologically arranged, every section offers a brief illustrated introduction to the life and work of each laureate.
As the present poet laureate Andrew Motion--whose appointment was the occasion for the publication of this collection--points out in his introduction to this collection, not all laureates have written their best work while in office, " ... a good many Poets Laureate have used their period of office to produce work that is merelay sentimental or sycophantic. Because others have been appointed at such a late date in their careers, it has proved impossible for them to write as well as they once might have done. Because others again were simply the wrong choice--or, at least, chosen for the wrong, subservient reasons." Acknowledging this, the collection fairly includes poems representing poets work prior to office; thus the entry on Wordsworth includes "Lines Written A Few Miles Above Tintern Abbey", Betjeman's his "Slough" and Cecil Day Lewis's "Circus Lion".
Motion's assessment is mindful of the politics of the laureateship--it is after all, a state appointment. What's particularly interesting about this anthology is that it represents what the establishment wants from poetry, or rather, who the establishment wants to represent poetry. Men, always. White, without exception; usually with a preferance for the aesthetic values of poetry over the politics in its art. It would however be unfair to burden this handy, informative anthology with this broader debate. A useful primer for those unfamiliar with the roll call of the laureateship, this is a pleasant collection of familiar favourites, and Motion's introduction an interesting insight into his own view of the role.--Rachel Holmes
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The Verses of the Poets Laureate: From John Dryden to Andrew Motion
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