Any history of "language made special" covering 4,000 years on four continents is bound to be highly selective but, if the test is to communicate a love of poetry making you revisit poets you know and try those you don't, this passes the test triumphantly. English and American poetry of the last two centuries dominate but there are delights from earlier eras and different cultures. The comments on Chaucer and Yeats are especially illuminating but there are any number of insights. A good escape from the world of lockdown.
(Tony Pratt - bwl 99 Winter 2021 ) |
