Modern Poems: An Introduction to Poetry

by Richard Ellmann (Editor), Robert O'Clair (Editor)

This Second Edition is a thorough, thoughtful revision of the acclaimed Modern Poems . The editors have undertaken two major changes to the text, making the anthology a more useful resource in teaching the work of individual poets. Whereas the previous edition sometimes offered only a single poem by a given poet, the Second Edition presents at least three poems by each poet, with the few exceptions being poets with significantly long poems. The editors have also expanded the author headnotes to set forth one or two critical points that invite students into the poems.

Other noteworthy changes include the addition of 38 new poets representing a diversity of traditions, from canonical poets like Lewis Carroll to contemporary ones like Rita Dove, and more careful attention paid to ethnic poetry and poetry by women.

Genres: Poetry, Anthologies

1008 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1976

About the author

Richard David Ellmann was an American literary critic and biographer of the Irish writers James Joyce, Oscar Wilde, and William Butler Yeats. He won the U.S. National Book Award for Nonfiction for James Joyce (1959), one of the most acclaimed literary biographies of the 20th century. Its 1982 revised edition won James Tait Black Memorial Prize. Ellmann was a liberal humanist, and his academic work focuses on the major modernist writers of the 20th century.

Reviews

[Matt]

What's not to like, really? This book is a pretty decent anthology of modern poems, as the title probably made clear already. My only complain would be that it was last updated in the 80s, so some of the biographical information is out of dead (the dead are still alive, blaaaah!). Anyway, I'm sure this will come in handy down the line for other classes or just to have wide-ranging collection of poems.

[Jack Coleman]

Another gem picked up at good old library book sale.
On of my best investments yet.Great anthology with good bio info on the
poets.Its not only great for the poetry lover its a great reference book
when the novels you read reference pieces of poetry, leaving you wanting to know more.

[Victoria]

Those two stars? Are there for Emily Dickinson and Sylvia Plath (And all the other female writers that my class didn't read). That's all.

[Carol]

got it as assigned reading in college, and finally finished it. It was alright and if you like poetry it should be right up your alley.

[Rosa]

“Tomatoes Vinaigrette.”

[Nathan Eilers]

This is wonderful anthology of poetry from the modern period--and even before and after it. There are many famous writers and poems to be found here, and the introductions are usually helpful without being too long. I pretended I was going to read the book all the way through, but it didn't happen. I'll leave my bookmark in, and maybe someday I'll pick it up again.

[Andrés]

An excellent poetry anthology

[Benji Bright]

I've carried this collection around with me to every apartment I've ever lived in. Essential.