Product Description

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.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #26603 in Books
• Published on: 2002-03-04
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 245 pages

Customer Reviews

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.

All the famous poems
A-Level text book for English Literature, 1999/2000. From the earliest 'Digging' and other accessible poems through to his later (more difficult to understand) works. Knowing some background to the Troubles in Northern Ireland helps to understand where Heaney is coming from. A good read even if you're not much into poetry.

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.