good poetry anthology

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im just looking for a good general english poetry anthology to use. the Norton anthology seems the best to me but does anyone have any further knowledge?

― tom cleveland (tom cleveland), Monday, 4 April 2005 01:56 (twenty years ago)

Norton's probably the way to go unless you want something less general.

― Hurting (Hurting), Monday, 4 April 2005 02:04 (twenty years ago)

There's a really great Norton Postmodern Poetry Anthology if you're interested in 20th C. stuff past Eliot/Pound/etc. -- the regular Norton jumps the shark shortly after that.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 4 April 2005 17:44 (twenty years ago)

For a Brit perspective: I like 'Being Alive' and 'Emergency Kit' and at the very general end, 'The Oxford Book of English Verse/Twentieth Century English Verse'.

Also, does anyone know of a good anthology of contemporary *American* poetry available in the UK? I feel there's a bit of a gap in my understanding...

― Archel (Archel), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 08:01 (twenty years ago)

I will play JtN's surrogate and say: THE FIREBOX

― the firefox, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 14:23 (twenty years ago)

I think I have lost my copy of 'emergency kit' :/

I haven't seen it in a while.

― cozen (Cozen), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 16:06 (twenty years ago)

There's always the oldie but goodie Palgrave's Golden Treasury. I'm not sure how closely it parallels the Norton anthology, though.

― Gail S, Tuesday, 5 April 2005 18:57 (twenty years ago)

I have one that's just called "Contemporary American Poetry" -- it's a little paperback with a Jasper Johns American Flag on it, but I can't remember the publisher, and I can't find my copy, nor do I know if it's available in the UK.

― Hurting (Hurting), Tuesday, 5 April 2005 21:26 (twenty years ago)

That book is no longer contemporary, since it's from 1960 or so.

Arch, I'm going to recommend the Norton Postmodern American Poetry anthology to you as well, even though your tastes might not run as much towards the "postmodern", but I think you would still find tons to enjoy here.

Oh! Also completely excellent is Poems for the Millennium, edited by Pierre Joris and Jerome Rotherberg, which is enormous and which covers a ton of poets from around the world. I'm not all that big on poetry in translation but this had a lot of eye-opening things in there. The first volume is somewhat better than the second, because their sense of how the poets relate to one another is stronger, although you could argue that the second is better for that same reason, because it has a less certain agenda. Anyway, highly recommended.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 00:58 (twenty years ago)

Thanks Chris I will check out both of those!

― Archel (Archel), Wednesday, 6 April 2005 07:08 (twenty years ago)

no other reputable "general" anthologies? i just want to be sure before i commit to a purchase. im also thinking of getting a more contemporary one...one low on the mediocre, if thats possible.

― tom cleveland (tom cleveland), Thursday, 7 April 2005 02:38 (twenty years ago)

The New Penguin English Verse is pretty comprehensive if you want a general overview of poetry over here.

Not technically an anthology but the bloodaxe compendium of poets essays about poetry "Strong words" is a regular favourite read of mine.

― Matt (Matt), Friday, 8 April 2005 22:02 (twenty years ago)

Tom, also: Why do you want an anthology? It is generally harder to read/use an anthology than to read a single volume by a single author, since you barely get enough to get a good sense of what they're doing -- you only get enough to sip, not enough to drink. If you're looking to get your feet into poetry, I'd suggest perhaps figuring out poet you like or think you'd like and reading them and then branching out into others who are somehow related.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Monday, 11 April 2005 01:01 (twenty years ago)

ive books by single authors as well, and have done that sort of branching, but i want anthology for the same sort of purpose and as a loose collection at least touching the breadth of "the canon."

― tom cleveland (tom cleveland), Friday, 15 April 2005 03:35 (twenty years ago)

the penguin history of narrative verse, released a couple of years ago, silver-and fucking huge (cheap too) is actually really really good, as is the few that heany worked on with hughes (the rattlebag) and the ishmael reed one called totems and (something else) is good for some idenitiy stuff.

― anthony, Sunday, 17 April 2005 07:47 (twenty years ago)

anthony, i cant find any info about that book, do you have a link or something?

― tom cleveland (tom cleveland), Thursday, 21 April 2005 01:44 (twenty years ago)

which one?

the ishmael reed one is from totems to hip hop, published by the thunders mouth press,

the rattle bag is published by faber and faber, and there are (two or three) of them

― anthony, Thursday, 21 April 2005 09:16 (twenty years ago)

I really like 100 Poems by 100 Poets (Faber & Faber, ed. Harold Pinter). I like the gimmicky concept and the way the poems are arranged alphabetically by poet, so you get entirely different things on adjacent pages.

― Madchen (Madchen), Thursday, 21 April 2005 11:39 (twenty years ago)

He means the Penguin narrative verse thingy, I suspect. I couldn't google up anything about it either.

― Casuistry (Chris P), Thursday, 21 April 2005 16:20 (twenty years ago)

five years pass...

what are some poetry anthologies that you like?

― congratulations (n/a), Sunday, 19 September 2010 00:00 (fifteen years ago)

An "Objectivists" Anthology is the greatest collection of literature I have held in my hand, also it is near-impossible to find but do not let this dispel you

― cambyrdsclosetvacuumsounds4fun (acoleuthic), Sunday, 19 September 2010 01:38 (fifteen years ago)

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