Contemporary Poetry

Edinburgh Critical Guides to Literature

by Nerys Williams

Discussing the work of more than 60 poets from the US, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and the Caribbean, from Sujata Bhatt to M. Philip NourbeSe and from John Ashbery to Eliot Weinberger, Nerys Williams guides students through the key ideas and movements in the study of poetry today. With reference to original manifestos and web-based experiments, as well as the role of information culture in shaping and distributing poetry globally this book engages with the full vitality of the contemporary poetry scene.Key Features* Wide topic range - from performance to politics, from lyric expression to ecopoetics and from multilingual poetries to electronic writing - enables provocative thematic links to be made * Discussion of global Englishes, dialects and idiolects aimed at those studying poetry on postcolonial literature and contemporary poetics courses* Contemporary relevance: relates poetry to reporting on global conflict, including the impact of the Iraq War* Student resources include a chronology, web resources, a glossary, questions for discussion and a guide to further reading

Genres: Poetry

288 pages, Hardcover

First published April 6, 2011

Reviews

[David Anthony Sam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Williams' study of trends and movements in late 20th and early 21st century is the best out there right now. It is hampered by academese and critical jargon but is otherwise and thoughtful and informative look at poetry in English up through the first decade of the new century.

[Sophie Bowns · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn’t really what I was expecting, it was more of a critical analysis perhaps aimed at literary students and a very niche market…