Product Description

Features Christmas poems from a range of years, in a range of styles.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #38690 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-06
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 66 pages

Review
'U. A. Fanthorpe is a national treasure. A new book from her is always a unique pleasure to be savoured for its truth, disconcerting obliqueness and even more disconcerting directness.' Liz Lochhead, Poetry Book Society Bulletin

About the Author
Born in Kent in 1929, U. A. Fanthorpe was Head of English at Cheltenham Ladies' College, and then 'became a middle-aged drop-out in order to write', publishing her first collection, Side Effects, in 1978. After working as a hospital clerk in Bristol, she was the Arts Council Literary Fellow at Lancaster, and in 1994 she was the first woman to be nominated for the post of Professor of Poetry at Oxford. Her seven volumes of poetry are all published by Peterloo Poets, and her Selected Poems was published by Penguin in 1986. She has also written children's poetry for The Crystal Zoo. U. A. Fanthorpe was awarded the C.B.E. in 2001. Her Collected Poems (Peterloo) appeared in 2003. R. V. Bailey was born in Northumberland and has worked as cafeteria assistant, librarian, information officer, teacher, counsellor, and latterly as director of undergraduate courses in Humanities at the University of the West of England, Bristol. She is the other voice in poetry recordings by U. A. Fanthorpe (Awkward Subject, Double Act, Poetry Quartets 5), and has published a pamphlet, Course Work (Culverhay Press, 1997) and a full collection with Peterloo, Marking Time (2004).

Customer Reviews

Ideal present or general read
If you love or hate Christmas, believe or disbelieve passionately, or simply value short, pithy poems, this book will surely be a treasure for you. It's funny, irreverent and godly all at once. Can be given to the aged aunt or the stroppy brat in the sure knowledge that it will make both chuckle and feel it was written for them. I have bought 3 copies (and no, I don't know the author!)

Xmas with Fanthorpe
This was bought as a gift for a friend. The book is a slim but well presented volume. I knew only a little of the poet's work previously to this but there is more to the collection than meets the eye- it is thought provoking at a time of year when everything tends towards the formulaic. A good purchase.

short and sweet
Elegant and witty gems. What a shame there will be no more.
C. Cooper