- Paperback: 256 pages
- Publisher: Penguin Classics; New Ed edition (12 Jun 1995)
- Language English
- ISBN-10: 0140587500
- ISBN-13: 978-0140587500
- Product Dimensions: 19.4 x 12.6 x 1.6 cm
- Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
- Amazon Bestsellers Rank: 375,845 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
A.E. Housman
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More About the Author
Product Description
Product Description
A. E. Housman, being one of the most famous and widely read poets of the early twentieth century, is certainly worthy of praise. His 'Collected Poems' are therefore a valuable read because they allow readers to gain an impression of the author's mind, opinions and lifestyle. Furthermore, they simultaneously depict a man who was deeply pessimistic and obsessed with death, and, on the other hand, illustrate a man who was also very much concerned with love, youth, life and the fleetingness of the these concepts.It is easy to understand why Housman's sensitive and sympathetic depictions of heroic English soldiers influenced and affected his readers, as his poetry is often written in an uncomplicated, yet sensitive style, which allows readers to feel as if they are witnessing events almost as the poet writes them down. These poems are also intriguing to read if you are a Shakespeare fan, as it is possible to spot many Shakespeare references in Housman's writing. A glossary or footnotes at the back of this book would be appreciated in any further editions, in order to allow readers to gain more understanding of the other poets and authors that Housman was influenced by. In brief, this collection presents the literary highlights of Housman's career, and this will be most appreciated by readers new to Housman's poetry.
About the Author
Alfred Edward Housman (March 26, 1859 - April 30, 1936), usually known as A.E. Housman, was an English poet and classical scholar, now best known for his cycle of poems A Shropshire Lad.
Nick Laird was born in 1975 in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. He was a scholar at Cambridge University and spent a year at Harvard as a visiting fellow. He also worked for several years as a litigator and arbitration lawyer in London and Warsaw. The author of the poetry collections To A Fault (Faber/Norton) and On Purpose (Faber/Norton), he has received several prestigious awards for both poetry and fiction, including the 2005 Rooney Prize for Irish Literature and the Ireland Chair of Poetry Award. His first novel, Utterly Monkey (Fourth Estate/Harper Collins) won the Betty Trask Prize for best first novel and was shortlisted for Irish Novel of the Year and the Commonwealth Writers Prize. His second novel, Glover's Mistake, was published by 4th Estate in the spring of 2009.
--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.
Inside This Book
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First Sentence
From Clee to heaven the beacon burns, The shires have seen it plain, From north and south the sign returns And beacons burn again. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
From Clee to heaven the beacon burns, The shires have seen it plain, From north and south the sign returns And beacons burn again. Read the first page Browse Sample Pages
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
34 of 35 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Every Housman fan has his (or her, don't women read him as well?) favourites. For me 'The True Lover', 'How clear, how lovely bright', and 'A.J.J.' would have to be the three best (probably). But they're all great. As with all great poetry, it's not at all easy to say exactly WHY. But they produce some effect (hairs on the back of the neck, a chill on the arms, a tear to the eye etc. etc.) that is not found often in other poets' works (at least not as frequently as in Housman's). This is true poetry. Housman even said he wanted his poetry to be felt by the reader, to create an emotional response to the words.
This is the definitive volume of Housman's poetry, containing all of them from 'A Shropshire Lad', 'Last Poems', and 'More Poems'. Slim volumes, all of them, but then with things like this it's quality, not quantity...
Treat yourself today.
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The poetry is, of course, deeply moving, haunting, wistful and beautiful. However, this Penguin edition was first published in 1956. You'd have thought they could be bothered to overhaul it with a check of textual accuracy and a new intro for the 21st century.
Maybe a new edition is in the pipeline. In the meantime save a few quid by getting the far superior Wordsworth edition. Also highly recommended are Wordsworth's complete editions of Hardy and Kipling, two other major poets whose work they do full justice to, unlike the bigger publishing houses.
Maybe a new edition is in the pipeline. In the meantime save a few quid by getting the far superior Wordsworth edition. Also highly recommended are Wordsworth's complete editions of Hardy and Kipling, two other major poets whose work they do full justice to, unlike the bigger publishing houses.
15 of 19 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Housman's poetry doesn't seem to be too fashionable these days. Not 'politically correct' as he writes about Empire and the Monarchy as well as the more profane. This is a pity as his work often takes the ordinary person's viewpoint - Kipling has the same problem with cultural censorship enacted by those who think they know best; the Ignorati. Anyway, read this book, it's 'real' poetry that scans well and has rhythm and speaks to you on your level.
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