Product Description

This Selected Poems contains poetry chosen by Carol Ann Duffy from her first four acclaimed volumes, Standing Female Nude, Selling Manhattan, The Other Country and Mean Time (winner of the Whitbread Poetry Award), as well as six poems from the later The World's Wife: 'In the world of British poetry, Carol Ann Duffy is a superstar. Highbrow and lowbrow, readers love her' The Guardian 'Carol Ann Duffy is a very, very bright, appealing, clever, ingenious, approachable and ... heartwarming writer. She's a Good Thing, capital G, capital T, one of the poets I most enjoy reading' Andrew Motion

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7417 in Books
• Published on: 2006-02-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 160 pages

About the Author
Poet, playwright and freelance writer Carol Ann Duffy was born in Glasgow in 1955, grew up in Staffordshire, and studied philosophy at Liverpool University. She is a former editor of the poetry magazine Ambit and is a regular reviewer and broadcaster. She moved from London to Manchester in 1996 and began to lecture in poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. She has won many awards in recognition of her work, including the Whitbread Prize, the Somerset Maugham Award, the Signal Prize and the Forward Prize for Poetry. She was awarded an OBE in 1995, a CBE in 2001 and became a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature in 1999. Carol Ann Duffy lives in Manchester.

Customer Reviews

Genius at work
Carol Ann Duffy is blessed with the rare gift of describing people and things as they really are, from the inside. Here, you will see people you know, in situations you have been in. Every word is precisely right, in the most satisfying way imaginable. She is not only thematically, but also technically, brilliant. Her poems have new levels which appear with every re-reading. I will never tire of reading this book. Do yourself a favour and buy a copy.

A Rare Talent
Ms Duffy has recently been appointed Poet Laureate, the first women so honoured. This collection goes a long way to explaining why. Her subject is herself and, through a deep examination of her experiences, thoughts, and feelings, she come to an understanding of what it is to be human, of the impact of memory on all our lives. For her experiences are transmuted by talent into something at once unique and universal, a genuine voice for those who have no voice.

Anyone who doubts the worth of poetry in the modern world should explore Ms Duffy's work without hesitation.

Duffy bashers back off!
Duffy is one of those poets who divides opinions to such extremes, she must be doing something good. The reactionary anti-feminism or passive misogyny that is evident in criticism of her, overlooks the fact that her work is engaging and accessible, while other 'superior' poets remain in the realm of academic snobbery.
Duffy is a poet with a bit of spit and bile and personally I love her work.