Status
Available
Call number
Genres
Collection
Publication
Faber and Faber (2009), Edition: 80th anniversary edition, Hardcover, 160 pages
Description
'Tread softly because you tread on my dreams' is one of the most well-known and repeated lines of poetry ever written. Less haunting, but still so relevant: 'Life is a long preparation for something that never happens.' W B Yeats was one of the foremost figures of 20th century literature. Winner of a Nobel prize, he was also a political figure and, as is evident from his earlier work, fascinated by Irish folklore and the occult. He was also deeply affected by the First World War and the Anglo-Irish and Irish civil wars. It is a testament to the greatness of Yeats' poetry that he attempts to bear witness to these emotional and historical forces.
User reviews
LibraryThing member g026r
Would have been served better by annotations. As an introduction to Yeats, I can't recommend unless you're already heavily familiar with Irish myth and history.
LibraryThing member Laura400
This is a fantastic low-priced compilation, selected and introduced by Seamus Heaney.
I agree that annotations would be nice, but luckily we now have the Internet as a resource.
I agree that annotations would be nice, but luckily we now have the Internet as a resource.
LibraryThing member thornton37814
I enjoyed some poems better than others. I listened to this in an audio format, read by T. P. McKenna. It was my first time to listen to poetry in the audiobook format, and I found it more difficult to follow than poems in print. I think a longer pause between poems would help transition from one
Show More
to the other a bit better. I tend to listen to audiobooks while driving, and distractions caused by traffic which don't cause one to lose much when listening to a novel create a bigger challenge in audio format. The narrator's voice reminded me of that of a stodgy old English professor. Show Less
LibraryThing member JBreedlove
Wanted to read some Yeats. There were some good poems "Aengus" and his later musings on old age. A lot of Irish mystic revolutionary poetry which fit his time but means little to me.
Language
Original publication date
2000
Physical description
160 p.
ISBN
0571247342 / 9780571247349
Local notes
A collection of Yeats' poetry - one of Ireland's greatest poets and an influential voices in world literature in the twentieth century. In the words of this volume's editor Seamus Heaney, his work encourages us to be more resolutely and abundantly alive, whatever the conditions.
In this "Poet to Poet" series, a contemporary poet advocates a poet of the past or present whom they particularly admire.
In this "Poet to Poet" series, a contemporary poet advocates a poet of the past or present whom they particularly admire.