Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #4523 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 245 pages

Synopsis
An updated selection of all Heaney's books, up to and including "The Haw Lantern", which was published in 1987. The book also includes selections from "Stations", prose poems of 1975 which have never appeared except as a pamphlet.

Customer Reviews

An interesting read
I had to read this for A-Level and I am delighted to have had the privilege. Heaney is an important influence in literature with his collections of superb poems. Some are auto-biographical and some are concepts of just thoughts. There is always an element of religious battle, which was a confusing time for Heaney. I love the lexi used in his poems and he has always been a favourite of mine for some time. Maybe because we are on the same wavelength; I understand the poems so honestly, that is perhaps why I enjoy his poetry so much.
There are the odd poems, which come to bore people, but there are many that inspire.

Word cannot describe...
...just how awful this guy is. I brought the book for my A-Level English and this guy has to be the worst poet in the history of the world ever, regardless. He cannot write about anything interesting, he is incapable, he writes about interesting things like farming and bogs. How INTERESTING. The man appears to be in love with Ireland and soggy fields, SERIOUSLY in love. I knows people would get onto me but none of his poetry even rhymes, even when its supposed to, i know poetry doesn't have to rhyme but when the poet tries and fails that has to be the worst. Some of the words we have used for the poems and him in our class are not suitable to use on this site.
If you fancy become angry, depressed, upset or fancy being bored and wasting some money, please feel free to buy this.
If your normal, DON'T!!!

Enjoyable
Seamus Heaney is a poet of immense talent and has been described as the most important Irish poet since Yeats.

The earlier poems in this collection are a fascinating insight into Heaney's childhood. Poems such as Mid-Term Break and Digging illustrate this. Other poems like Death of a Naturalist and Thatcher are examples of the way Heaney plays with words, particularly adjectives, to form beautifully structured, exquisite works.

The later poems in this collection are more difficult to understand and go above my head to be honest, but I guess half the fun is trying to work out what they mean.

An enjoyable and interesting read.

Declan Mullan.