Product Description

Being Alive is the sequel to Neil Astley's Staying Alive, which became Britain's most popular poetry book because it gave readers hundreds of thoughtful and passionate poems about living in the modern world. Now he has assembled this equally lively companion anthology for all those readers who've wanted more poems that touch the heart, stir the mind and fire the spirit. Being Alive is about being human: about love and loss, fear and longing, hurt and wonder. Staying Alive didn't just reach a broader readership, it introduced thousands of new readers to contemporary poetry, giving them an international gathering of poems of great personal force, poems with emotional power, intellectual edge and playful wit. It also brought many readers back to poetry, people who hadn't read poetry for years because it hadn't held their interest. Now Being Alive gives readers an even wider selection of vivid, brilliantly diverse contemporary poetry from around the world. If readers were surprised by Staying Alive, the publishers were even more staggered by the postbag they received in response. People from all walks of life wrote to express their thanks and appreciation, saying how much Staying Alive had helped or stimulated them and fired up their interest in poetry. They hadn't just bought one copy, they'd bought many copies to give to friends and family as presents. They also wanted to tell editor Neil Astley about other poems which had been important to them in their own lives, and Being Alive includes many powerful poems suggested by readers. Staying Alive has so far sold 75,000 copies. Being Alive is eagerly awaited by thousands of readers throughout Britain and Ireland.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #7144 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-28
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

Review
"'I love Staying Alive and keep going back to it. Being Alive is just as vivid, strongly present and equally beautifully organised. But this new book feels even more alive - I think it has a heartbeat, or maybe that's my own thrum humming along with the music of these poets. Sitting alone in a room with these poems is to be assured that you are not alone, you are not crazy (or if you are, you're not the only one who thinks this way!) I run home to this book to argue with it, find solace in it, to locate myself in the world again' - Meryl Streep; 'These poems remind us of what we have felt yet never fully articulated, what we have dreamt yet never believed entirely possible. Perhaps most importantly, the poems in here tell us there is nothing more powerful than language when its agenda is to reveal rather than to conceal or distort' - Kamila Shamsie"

Customer Reviews

The sequel's even better!
Ever since I bought this book I have been carrying it around to dip into. Another eclectic mix of poems in 10 sections covering every aspect of life - including 'Daily Round', 'Love Life', 'Exploring the World'. There are poems of all types, some new names, some well known contemporary poets, and dotted about, a few old favourites like MacNeice, Auden, Larkin. Each subject is viewed from several angles, you're sure to find words that speak directly to you.
If you haven't read much poetry lately, take a look inside and find poets you may not have heard of but whose poems will become friends.
For those who read contemporary poetry, here are the names you know and lots more to whet your appetite.
A superb collection with enormous breadth and imaginatively arranged so the reader 'stumbles upon' new treasures at every reading. The best anthology out - every home should have a copy.

Being Alive
Every bit as indispensable as an Encyclopaedia or a family medical book "Being Alive" is a collection of poetry about everyday living in the 21st Century. This wonderfully arranged collection includes such lofty topics such as Love and Death as well finding room for poems about TV and the pet dog on its canvas.

Never overly romantic (those that wish to read about the surface beauty of nature will need to look elsewhere). "Being Alive" is as current and as gritty as a book about modern life needs to be. What the poems do capture are those illusive and awkward feelings that you've had and have never been able to put into words. Filled with vitality you can come away from some of the poems elated and feeling that you are not alone. The quality of the imagery is fresh and startling, every word conveys (or reveals) the poets meaning.

A wonderful book.

Even better than the first one
I bought the first book - Staying Alive and loved it. This is even better!! I keep it at my bedside and always dip in and read a few poems before I go to sleep. Its like having your own personal mentor/champion with you all the time! I can't get enough of this book.