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Domhnall

Domhnall

Currently reading

How the World Works
Noam Chomsky
The English Auden: Poems, Essays and Dramatic Writings, 1927-1939
W.H. Auden
Auden Generation: Literature and Politics in England in the 1930's
Samuel Hynes
Collected Poems
W.H. Auden

Ted Hughes: Collected Poems

Ted Hughes: Collected Poems - Ted Hughes This is a beautiful edition which, despite its size, is a pleasure to use. In addition to the published books in order of publication, there are a huge number of "uncollected" poems, many of which are excellent. Stories and prose are not included, which in the case of Woodwo (perhaps also other books) are considered by Ted Hughes himself to be an essential part of that work and need to be read alongside the poems. For this reason and for comfort, it is still sometimes more appealing to read from the separate volumes, but that rather depends on how many we can really expect to own. Contents pages, and indices of poem titles and of first lines, make it easy to track poems down; they are especially valuable when reading this collection alongside a biography of the poet, as I did.

To review a lifetime's work by such a major poet would be far too challenging. His nature poetry is stunning, and dominates the collection. In Crow,he has established an extraordinary vehicle for philosophizing which will not be unravelled easily. In Tales from Ovid he has brought to life two dozen ancient stories which are riveting and deeply evocative. In Birthday Letters, he undertakes an examination of his relationship with Sylvia Plath which he worked on for as much as 25 years and only published when close to his death. It is perfectly possible to read through this huge collection, albeit a lot of material to digest, because the style is both beautiful and accessible, but to explore it at all seriously is likely to be an ambitious project.