Who are the best British poets?

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More along the lines of E.E. Cummings than someone more "traditional", if you can.

― Mick Johnson, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 13:45 (twenty-one years ago)

we're trad enough to grammaticize ee's name, though, right?

― N_RQ, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 13:47 (twenty-one years ago)

GARU G

― GAROOG, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 13:53 (twenty-one years ago)

Don't look at me, it's all Auden and Betjemen round these parts. Apart from ee cummings, I don't know anyone like ee cummings.

― Come Back Johnny B (Johnney B), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:08 (twenty-one years ago)

Benny Hill.

― n/a (Nick A.), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:09 (twenty-one years ago)

I don't really mean that it has to be a lot like e.e., but more that it's NOT like Wordsworth, etc.

― Mick Johnson, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:17 (twenty-one years ago)

John Donne, Alexander Pope, Philip Larkin, Ted Hughes, Basil Bunting, Tony Harrison.

― I'm a Problem for Anthony Blair (noodle vague), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:19 (twenty-one years ago)

Blake and Larkin are canonical favourites and I like them too. (I know what you mean by "not like Wordsworth" and maybe you'd put Blake in the same category but to me, Blake is the anti-Wordsworth so I'll suggest him anyway)
xpost

― beanz (beanz), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:21 (twenty-one years ago)

"I don't know anyone like ee cummings."

no one can be like ee without getting branded as an imitator. and then ignored because of it.

pretty stupid really.
m.

― msp (mspa), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:55 (twenty-one years ago)

What is Betjeman's status among English readers now, anyhow?

― Banana Nutrament (ghostface), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:56 (twenty-one years ago)

Benjamin Zephaniah, and Roger McGough; my favourites anyway.

― Ed (dali), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 14:59 (twenty-one years ago)

iain sinclair

― cb, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:16 (twenty-one years ago)

Tony Harrison!

― JimD (JimD), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:23 (twenty-one years ago)

william shaxbeard

― stewart downes (sdownes), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:26 (twenty-one years ago)

Geoffry Hill, Andrew Crozier, Jeremy Prynne, Denise Riley

― Masked Gazza, Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:27 (twenty-one years ago)

benjamin zephaniah!

― RJG (RJG), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 15:30 (twenty-one years ago)

Were you seconding Tony Harrison, Jim?

― I'm a Problem for Anthony Blair (noodle vague), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:37 (twenty-one years ago)

i like christopher logue's iliad stuff - "all day permanent red" etc

i don't know about best.

― Lukas (lukas), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 16:51 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes, very much so. Especially v.

― JimD (JimD), Wednesday, 21 September 2005 21:59 (twenty-one years ago)

Scottish vote: Roddy Lumsden, Don Patterson. I know people who rate Farley high; I haven't delved deep enough to see if this is justified.

― Ally C (Ally C), Thursday, 22 September 2005 11:42 (twenty-one years ago)

You might like Edwin Morgan. (Another Scot.)

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 22 September 2005 11:55 (twenty-one years ago)

I HATE ALEXANDER POPE
seriously.

andrew marvell, coleridge.. and W. Blae soooo OTM.

― Ian John50n (orion), Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:06 (twenty-one years ago)

also, hugh macdiarmid

― cb, Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:06 (twenty-one years ago)

(x-post)

― cb, Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:20 (twenty-one years ago)

I AM! Oh wait...

Someone might say Gerard Manley Hopkins is among the best. Or was he Irish? I can't remember.

― Ian Riese-Moraine: Let this bastard out, and you'll get whiplash! (Eastern Mantr, Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:28 (twenty-one years ago)

For some reason, I think I like Thomas Hardy.

― stewart downes (sdownes), Thursday, 22 September 2005 12:43 (twenty-one years ago)

hopkins was indeed irish, as was the best of them all- yeats. english poets, i'd lean towards mcgough. cos e's funny, innit?

― d.arraghmac, Thursday, 22 September 2005 13:28 (twenty-one years ago)

Why has no one mentioned Carol Ann Duffy??

Some may regard her as crap, but this woman was very nearly poet laureate!!

― JTS, Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:29 (twenty-one years ago)

Well, I prefer her to Andrew Motion I suppose. (Who strangely enough nobody has mentioned either...)

U.A. Fanthorpe better than both.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:31 (twenty-one years ago)

That's because Motion is utterly shit.

― I'm a Problem for Anthony Blair (noodle vague), Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:32 (twenty-one years ago)

Yes. I mean there have been some dud laureates but he takes the biscuit. Sad reflection of the public standing of poetry in this country.

― Archel (Archel), Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:39 (twenty-one years ago)

TS: Colley Cibber vs. Andrew Motion

I'd choose Cibber.

― I'm a Problem for Anthony Blair (noodle vague), Thursday, 22 September 2005 15:42 (twenty-one years ago)

Peter Porter, Michael Hoffman, Ivor Cutler, Ian Hamilton Finlay, Ian McMillan...

― Momus (Momus), Thursday, 22 September 2005 16:35 (twenty-one years ago)

Larkin and Auden top my list.
I have a bit of a soft spot for Thom Gunn, too.

― willpie (willpie), Thursday, 22 September 2005 16:42 (twenty-one years ago)

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