A haiku, an ode, a sonnet, a limerick, an elegy ... more poetry,please.
Poetry Books
Faber & Faber The History Boys With GCSE and A Level study
Book SynopsisDesigned to meet the requirements for students at GCSE and A level, this accessible educational edition offers the complete text of The History Boys with a comprehensive study guide. Highlights of Andrew Bruff''s guide include: detailed analyses of character, theme and structure; a clear introduction to the context of the play and its author; key quotations and activities both for the student working alone and in the classroom.An unruly bunch of bright, funny sixth-form boys in pursuit of sex, sport and a place at university. A maverick English teacher at odds with the young and shrewd supply teacher. A headmaster obsessed with results; a history teacher who thinks he's a fool.In Alan Bennett's award-winning and hugely popular play, staffroom rivalry and the anarchy of adolescence provoke insistent questions about history and how you teach it, about education and its purpose.
£10.44
Faber & Faber Crossing the Water Faber Poetry
Book SynopsisCrossing the Water and Winter Trees contain the poems written during the exceptionally creative period of the last years of Sylvia Plath's life. Published posthumously in 1971, they add a startling counterpoint to Ariel, the volume that made her reputation. Readers will recognise some of her most celebrated poems Childless Woman', Mirror', Insomniac' while discovering those still overlooked, including her radio play Three Women. These two extraordinary volumes find their place alongside The Colossus and Ariel in the oeuvre of a singular talent.''Nearly all the poems here have the familiar Plath daring, the same feel of bits of frightened, vibrant, indignant consciousness translated instantly into words and images that blend close, experienced horror and icy, sardonic control.'' Alan Brownjohn, New Statesman
£11.69
Pan Macmillan A Midsummer Night's Dream
Book SynopsisGorgeous, strange and magical, A Midsummer Night's Dream is perhaps the best-loved of Shakespeare's plays. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition is illustrated throughout by Sir John Gilbert, and includes an introduction by Ned Halley.A young woman flees Athens with her lover, only to be pursued by her would-be husband and her best friend. Unwittingly, all four find themselves in an enchanted forest where fairies and sprites soon take an interest in human affairs, dispensing love potions and casting mischievous spells. In this dazzling comedy, confusion ends in harmony, as love is transformed, misplaced, and – ultimately – restored.Trade ReviewEvery generation continues to be in his debt. Shakespeare’s plots, which are brilliantly polyvalent, continue to inspire ceaseless adaptations and spin-offs. His unforgettable phrase-making recurs on the lips of millions who do not realise they are quoting Shakespeare * Guardian *
£9.49
Pushkin Press Duino Elegies
Book SynopsisThe captivating original English translation of Rilke's landmark poetry cycle, by Vita and Edward Sackville-West
£11.69
Faber & Faber The Man With Night Sweats
Book SynopsisWith an illuminating new preface by Colm Tóibín, here is Thom Gunn''s extraordinary memorial to love, life and death in the time of the AIDS crisisThe Man With Night Sweats, originally published in 1992, sees Thom Gunn writing at the height of his powers. The collection begins with poems that celebrate love and sex and bodies whether the exuberance of a swimming otter, the nimble moves of a tow-headed skateboarder or the habituated coming together of two old lovers. In devastating contrast, the poems in the last section are unflinching portraits and accounts of the illness and deaths of friends during the AIDS epidemic. Written out of a lifetime's experience of perfecting his art, these poems are unsurpassed in elegiac intensity and among the most poignant responses to those terrible times.''Gunn has risen to his inescapable new subject with verse of quiddity, depth and terrible truthfulness.'' Financial Times''Elegies as unblinking and
£11.69
HarperCollins Publishers The Battle of Maldon
Book SynopsisFirst ever standalone edition of one of J.R.R. Tolkien's most important poetic dramas, that explores timely themes such as the nature of heroism and chivalry during war, and which features unpublished and never-before-seen texts and drafts.In 991 AD, vikings attacked an Anglo-Saxon defence-force led by their duke, Beorhtnoth, resulting in brutal fighting along the banks of the river Blackwater, near Maldon in Essex. The attack is widely considered one of the defining conflicts of tenth-century England, due to it being immortalised in the poem, The Battle of Maldon.Written shortly after the battle, the poem now survives only as a 325-line fragment, but its value to today is incalculable, not just as an heroic tale but in vividly expressing the lost language of our ancestors and celebrating ideals of loyalty and friendship.J.R.R. Tolkien considered The Battle of Maldon the last surviving fragment of ancient English heroic minstrelsy'. It would inspire him to compose, during the 1930s, hiTrade Review ‘If you were to choose only one [book] to gain some insight into the prolific smorgasbord of his multifaceted writing, this is peak Tolkien’ Wall Street Journal ‘Offers valuable insight into Tolkien’s creative process and enriching our understanding of his scholarly contributions’ Amon Hen, Bulletin of the Tolkien Society ‘Tolkien was a storyteller of genius’ Literary Review
£17.00
Random House The Home Child
Book Synopsis*WINNER OF THE WRITERS'' PRIZE - BOOK OF THE YEAR*Inspired by a true story, The Home Child is a beautiful novel-in-verse about a child far from homeGround-breaking' Benjamin ZephaniahBeautifully crafted' GuardianExtraordinary' Hannah LoweIn 1908, Eliza Showell, twelve years old and newly orphaned, boards a ship that will carry her from the slums of the Black Country to rural Nova Scotia. She will never return or see her family again.With nothing to call her own, the wild beauty of her surroundings is the only solace Eliza has until another Home Child, a boy, arrives at the farm and changes everything.Inspired by the true story of Liz Berry's great aunt, this spellbinding novel in verse is an exquisite portrait of a girl far from home.One of the outstanding books of this year. Although this is a historical tale its resonance is timeless' Sunday TimesDeeply moving. A graceful,
£9.49
Bloodaxe Books Ltd The Penny Dropping
Book Synopsis
£10.80
Candlestick Press Ten Poems about Roses
Book Synopsis
£7.41
Bonnier Books Ltd Life: Poems to help navigate life’s many twists &
Book Synopsis*Donna Ashworth's new book Wild Hope is out September 2023*FROM THE SUNDAY TIMES BESTSELLING AUTHOR OF I WISH I KNEWFor those looking for inspiration, peace and acceptance on the bumpy road that is life, Donna Ashworth's poems give insight into the enigmas of ageing, body image, family and the rapidly changing world around us.For every twist, turn and roadblock the journey has to offer, this collection provides relief to busy minds and dares us to live with a reckless abundance of joy.Readers are embracing Life- 'One of today's best poets.' ***** NetGalley- 'Donna's writing conveys so beautifully what it is to be human' ***** Amazon- 'Each time I read a poem and decide that is my favourite I turn the page and find another beautifully written, eloquent piece that resonates, comforts, and that makes you stop and reflect.' ***** Amazon- 'They are wonderful books to dip in and out of when you need inspiration, some advice, a hug, a friendly word.' ***** Amazon
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Them
Book SynopsisHarry Josephine Giles is a writer and performer from Orkney. She holds an MA in Theatre Directing from East 15 Acting School and a PhD in Creative Writing from the University of Stirling. Her verse novel Deep Wheel Orcadia was published by Picador in October 2021 and received the 2022 Arthur C. Clarke Award for Science Fiction Book of the Year. Her poetry collections Tonguit and The Games were shortlisted for the Edwin Morgan Poetry Award, the Forward Prize for Best First Collection, and the Saltire Poetry Book of the Year. Them! is her fourth poetry collection.
£10.44
Faber & Faber The Gododdin
Book SynopsisThe timeless and compelling word-music' of one of Britain's oldest cultural treasures is captured in this new bilingual edition.The Gododdin charts the rise and fall of 363 warriors in the battle of Catraeth, around the year AD 600. The men of the Brittonic kingdom of Gododdin rose to unite the Welsh and the Picts against the Angles, only to meet a devastating fate. Composed by the poet Aneirin, the poem was originally orally transmitted as a sung elegy, passed down for seven centuries before being written down in early Welsh by two medieval scribes. It is composed of one hundred laments to the named characters who fell, and follows a sophisticated alliterative poetics. Former National Poet of Wales Gillian Clarke animates this historical epic with a modern musicality, making it live in the language of today and underscoring that, in a world still beset by the misery of war, Aneirin's lamentation is not done.
£12.34
HarperCollins Publishers The Tories A Tragedy
Book SynopsisThe brilliant mind behind the Secret Tory presents 14 years of Tory rule as told by William Shakespeare''O, for a muse of fire that would ascendThe brightest heaven of pretention!A kingdom for a stage, Tories to act,Oligarchs to behold the swelling scene!'So begins The Tories: A Tragedy. In this brilliant new work of political satire, Henry Morris presents fourteen years of Conservative (mis)rule in the only form in which such misfortunes could be portrayed: as a Shakespearean play.In five acts that take in five prime ministers, The Tories: A Tragedy is a captivatingly realised Jacobean tragedy, replete with Machiavellian manoeuvrings, hilarious mechanicals and poignant verse. Publishing in the shadow of the most significant election since the Tories came to power in 2010, this exhilarating, original book is an alternative history of a disastrous reign a drama that will appeal to those who love Shakespeare, comedy, Shakespeare's comedies, and those who simply love to laugh at the Tor
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Canterbury Tales
Book SynopsisAt the Tabard Inn in Southwark, a jovial group of pilgrims assembles, including an unscrupulous Pardoner, a noble-minded Knight, a ribald Miller, the lusty Wife of Bath, and Chaucer himself. As they set out on their journey towards the shrine of Thomas a Becket in Canterbury, each character agrees to tell a tale. The twenty-four tales that follow are by turns learned, fantastic, pious, melancholy and lewd, and together offer an unrivalled glimpse into the mind and spirit of medieval England.Trade Review“A delight . . . [Raffel’s translation] provides more opportunities to savor the counterpoint of Chaucer’s earthy humor against passages of piercingly beautiful lyric poetry.”—Kirkus Reviews“Masterly . . . This new translation beckons us to make our own pilgrimage back to the very wellsprings of literature in our language.” —Billy Collins“The Canterbury Tales has remained popular for seven centuries. It is the most approachable masterpiece of the medieval world, and Mr. Raffel’s translation makes the stories even more inviting.”—Wall Street JournalTable of ContentsThe Canterbury TalesAcknowledgmentsEditor's NoteChronolgyIntroductionFurther ReadingChaucer's LanguageA Note on the TectAbbreviations of the Canterbury TalesThe Canterbury TalesFragment I (Group A)The General PrologueThe Knight's TaleThe Miller's Prologue and TaleThe Reeve's Prologue and TaleThe Cook's Prologue and TaleFragment II (Group B)The Man of Law's Prologue, Tale and EpilogueFragment III (Group D)The Wife of Bath's Prologue and TaleThe Friar's Prologue and TaleThe Summoner's Prologue and TaleFragment IV (Group E)The Clerk's Prologue and TaleThe Merchant's Prologue, Tale and EpilogueFragment V (Group F)The Squire's Prologue and TaleThe Squire-Franklin Link, the Franklin's Prologue and TaleFragment VI (Group C)The Physician's TaleThe Physicia-Pardoner Link, The Pardoner's Prologue and TaleFragment VII (Group B)The Shipman's TaleThe Shipman-Prioress Link, The Prioress's Prologue and TaleThe Prioress-Sir Thopas Link and Sir ThopasThe Thopas-Melibee Link and the Tale of MelibeeThe Monk's Prologue and TaleThe Nun's Priest's Prologue, Tale and EpilogueFragment VIII (Group G)The Second Nun's Prologue and TaleThe Canon's Yeoman's Prologue and TaleFragment IX (Group H)The Manciple's Prologue and TaleFragment X (Group I)The Parson's Prologue and TaleChaucer's RetractionsAbbrviated ReferencesNotesGlossary
£18.70
Penguin Books Ltd Selected Poems Penguin Modern Classics
Book SynopsisHailed as the greatest modern lyrical poet of Germany, Rainer Maria Rilke's genius lies in his passion for perfection, artistic integrity and willingness to remain a perpetual beginner'. The verse contained in this selection ranges from the objective, naturalistic descriptions of his earliest works to the increasingly effusive outpourings of half-religious ecstasy and anguish that characterize his later poems and culminates in the overwhelmingly personal vision of the famous Duino Elegies' and The Sonnets to Orpheus', in which his most intense experiences of living and being find their noblest expression.
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd The House of Bernarda Alba and Other Plays
Book SynopsisFederico García Lorca was born into an educated family of small landowners in Fuente Vaqueros in 1898. In 1928 his Gipsy-Ballad Book (Romancero gitano) received much public acclaim. In 1929 he went to New York with Fernando de los Ríos and his volume of poems Poet in New York (Poeta en Nueva York) was published posthumously in 1940. On his return to republican Spain, he devoted himself to the theatre, as co-director of La Barraca, a government-sponsored student theatrical company that toured the country. He now wrote fewer poems, but these include his masterpiece Lament for Ignacio Sánchez Mejías (Llanto por la muerte de Ignacio Sánchez Mejías, 1935), a lament for a dead bullfighter. He wrote classical plays, pantomimic interludes, puppet plays, La zapatera prodigiosa (1930) and three tragedies: Blood Wedding (Bodas de sangre, 1933), Yerma (1934) and The House of Bernarda Alba (La casa de Bernarda Alba,
£9.49
Penguin Books Ltd The PreRaphaelites From Rossetti to Ruskin
Book SynopsisThe Pre-Raphaelite Movement began in 1848, and experienced its heyday in the 1860s and 1870s. Influenced by the then little-known Keats and Blake, as well as Wordsworth, Shelley and Coleridge, Pre-Raphaelite poetry ''etherialized sensation'' (in the words of Antony Harrison), and popularized the notion ofl''art pour l''art - art for art''s sake. Where Victorian realist novels explored the grit and grime of the Industrial Revolution, Pre-Raphaelite poems concentrated on more abstract themes of romantic love, artistic inspiration and sexuality. Later they attracted Aesthetes and Decadents like Oscar Wilde, Aubrey Beardsley and Ernest Dowson, not to mention Gerard Manley Hopkins and W.B. Yeats.
£13.49
Penguin Books Ltd The Penguin Book of Russian Poetry Robert
Book SynopsisAn enchanting collection of the very best of Russian poetry, edited by acclaimed translator Robert Chandler together with poets Boris Dralyuk and Irina MashinskiIn the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries, poetry's pre-eminence in Russia was unchallenged, with Pushkin and his contemporaries ushering in the 'Golden Age' of Russian literature. Prose briefly gained the high ground in the second half of the nineteenth century, but poetry again became dominant in the 'Silver Age' (the early twentieth century), when belief in reason and progress yielded once more to a more magical view of the world. During the Soviet era, poetry became a dangerous, subversive activity; nevertheless, poets such as Osip Mandelstam and Anna Akhmatova continued to defy the censors. This anthology traces Russian poetry from its Golden Age to the modern era, including work by several great poets - Georgy Ivanov and Varlam Shalamov among them - in captivating modern translations by Robert CTrade ReviewIt is marvellous -- George Szirtes * New Statesman *This extraordinary anthology has no precedent or peer ... Finally, a comprehensive collection of fine, often extraordinarily fine, translations, with accurate and acute background and critical information ... Robert Chandler and Boris Dralyuk are not just the editors, they are the chief translators, outstanding in their unerring feel for the sense of the original and ways in which the English language can match it ... This book provides a much-needed entry into Russian poetry -- Professor Donald Rayfield * PN Review *This anthology is ambitious - in scope, biographical apparatus and in what it expects of its translators [...] As you read through the names which, great and small, form the 20th century's poetic roll of honour, the introductory biographies (excellent throughout) strike repeatedly gloomy notes of censorship, banishment and worse. Times have changed: the uncensored individual voice has lost authority, and the children of the new Russia have yet to be heard. Anthologies such as this should remind them why their country's poetry once so greatly mattered * Observer *A new poetic world ... The editors have used this anthology to open up exciting new horizons. Russian literature, after Stalin, suddenly looks very different. Surely that is what anthologies are for * Standpoint *A stunning anthology. It is a treasure house of poetic riches and a monument to the lives of those who created them -- David Cooke * London Grip *Russia's proud poetic heritage is revived brilliantly in English in this new anthology from Penguin Classics * RTÉ Ten *This is a lively collection complete with informative pen portraits ... It embraces the sweep of modern Russian history, including the now somewhat neglected Soviet period, imparting something of the profundity, humanity and suffering of that experience, whilst remaining upbeat and amusing, in the best traditions of Russian art * The Spokesman *It is tempting to describe this book as encyclopaedic. In as much as it opens only in about 1780 and is able tocover only a very limited amount of the work of a finite number of poets, of course it is not. But the great quantity and range of material that is included, plus the wonderfully informative Introduction, Bibliography and Notes that we have come to expect of any work in which Robert Chandler has had a hand, do indeed take it a long way towards qualifying for that descriptor -- Andrew Sheppard * East-West Review *The glory of Russian literature is its poetic tradition, and it remains little known in the English-speaking world. This ample anthology, a labour of love on the part of its three editors, seeks to rectify that situation ... The ultimate goal of any translation is to inspire. The Penguin Book of Russian Poetry closes with four wonderful English poems by non-Russians (one by Chandler himself), and if immersion in this volume contributes to further creativity of this sort, it will have justified its place on our bookshelves. * TLS *The appearance of this anthology is a major advance in the appreciation of Russian poetry in the West ... the breadth of coverage is outstanding * Society for Co-operation in Russian and Soviet Studies *This new anthology is a major and surely lasting achievement that will represent Russian poetry memorably to a new generation of anglophone readers * Translation and Literature *A lucky find for Slavic scholars, English-speaking Russophiles, and poetry lovers of many stripes ... Even if Russia cannot fully be understood, its poetry, at least, is something to be believed in * Russian Life *What the three editors have set out to give us is not literary history, but the experience of Russian poetry as a living organism in English ... A lively collection that will be a standard work for years to come * Australian Book Review *A Keatsian thing of beauty and a joy forever. It is a book that enables us to meet long-dead poets as we read their work ... and an ambitious search for the elusive Russian soul -- Phoebe Taplin * American Book Review *This book will create many new readers of Russian poetry. The editors' presentation is authoritative and expansive ... Special appeal, though, lies in gorgeous translations that read as stand-alone poems * Slavic Review *The Penguin Book of Russian Poetry ... dramatically changed the shape of Russian poetry. As you read on, the landscape becomes stranger and more unfamiliar, especially as you come to the late twentieth century. Almost 150 pages of post-war poetry, nearly thirty poets, most of them unfamiliar to many Englishspeaking readers. New names. A new poetic world. Our sense of Russian literature has changed dramatically in recent years -- David Herman
£11.69
Oxford University Press William Blake Selected Poems
Book SynopsisWilliam Blake's strikingly original poetic world of myth and mysticism continues to fascinate. This selection represents the full range of his accomplishments, from his haunting lyrics to his political works.Trade ReviewNew and innovative ... a brilliant chronological timeline ... by combining historical research with literary scholarship, Shrimpton creates a version of Blake's poems which is significantly different to all others ... a fresh view which allows readers to see the development of Blake's thoughts and poems. * Journal of the Blake Society *Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction Note on the Text Select Bibliography A Chronology of William Blake LYRICS FROM POETICAL SKETCHES MANUSCRIPT POEMS FROM FLAXMAN'S COPY OF POETICAL SKETCHES SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE SHEWING THE TWO CONTRARY STATES OF THE HUMAN SOUL POEMS ADDED TO LATER COPIES OF SONGS OF INNOCENCE AND OF EXPERIENCE LYRICS FROM THE MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN AND HELL LYRICS FROM THE NOTEBOOK BALLADS NARRATIVE POEMS DESCRIPTIVE AND DISCURSIVE POETRY COMIC AND SATIRICAL POETRY VERSE EPISTLES and DEDICATIONS BRIEF EPIC DIFFUSE EPIC Explanatory Notes Index of Titles and First Lines
£10.44
Penguin Books Ltd Poetry by Heart
Book SynopsisFamiliar poems and almost unknown poems. Love poems and war poems. Funny poems and heartbroken poems. Poems that re-create the world we know and poems written on the dark side of the moon. Poetry by Heart is an essential collection of over 200 poems, from Geoffrey Chaucer to Emily Dickinson, from Christina Rossetti to Benjamin Zephaniah, all carefully chosen for their suitability for learning and reciting. This is an anthology which celebrates the age-old pleasure of reciting poems - an anthology for all ages to treasure.Trade ReviewThe poems we learn stay with us for the rest of our lives. They become personal and invaluable, and what's more they are free gifts - there for the taking -- Simon Armitage
£12.34
SPCK Publishing A Century of Poetry
Book SynopsisFor all who appreciate great poetry, one of the world's best-loved Christian writers and poets reflects on 100 of his favourite poems and why they have the power to change us.Trade Review‘A poet’s choice. A thoughtful, eclectic, original selection of poems, their power enhanced by conjunction with one another. No serious lover of poetry will want to be without this book.’ * A. N. Wilson, writer and broadcaster *‘Rowan Williams is one of our best readers of poetry. He is an "all-round" reader, attending to the full range of details, questions and possibilities in a poem, and arriving at a remarkable depth of thinking in response. . . In my experience, spending time with Rowan Williams’s writing changes your life, as does great poetry. This book offers both.’ * Romana Huk, Associate Professor of English, University of Notre Dame *‘Each poem in this collection is a door ajar, which Rowan Williams nudges open, inviting us in, where he carefully shows us around. He leaves us in a room of many windows, the light streaming in, our souls enriched, this book in our hand.’ * Frances Ward, Poetry Editor, Theology *‘This is a compendium of poems you could spend a lifetime absorbing. Rowan Williams has gathered a diverse array of poets that grapple with mystery, ultimacy, and the terrifying beauty of being human. These are deep wells, and Williams is a gentle guide into the depths of riches.’ * James K.A. Smith, editor in chief, Image *‘Rowan Williams and poetry have a lot in common. Both prefer honest complexity to dishonest simplicity. Both want to draw your attention to the space around words, to sound, epiphany, and emotional resonance, so that a more distilled understanding appears on the horizon. Brought together in this book, Williams patiently reflecting on poems from the last hundred years, they offer nothing less to us than an undeceiving of the world.’ * Mark Oakley, Dean of St John’s College, Cambridge *‘Reading this book is going on a spiritual journey in which we are invited to leave behind our 'twined scaffolding' of fixed meaning to enter language as if from the inside and discern the divine 'pattern that informs' everything.’ * Alison Grant Milbank, Professor of Theology and Literature, University of Nottingham *‘Most of us know Rowan Williams as one of our greatest theological minds, but he is also a talented poet and gifted teacher. Over the years, Rowan and I have talked literature and culture often, and this book reminds me of what I've received from those conversations: startling insights, warm humanity, and a constant reminder that we are connected by love and beauty to the Divine.’ * Greg Garrett, Professor of Literature and Culture, Baylor University, and Canon Theologian, American Cathedral in Paris *'For sheer diversity and depth, there is nothing else like this book, and it will offer new layers and depths with many future re-readings.' -- Revd Dr Malcolm Guite, in Church Times
£18.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC Fear and Misery of the Third Reich
Book SynopsisThis text is Brecht's series of 24 inter-connected playlets that describe events which took place in German households before his own exile in 1936. They describe the suspicion and anxiety experienced by people as the power of Hitler grew.
£10.99
Methuen Publishing Ltd Dog
Book SynopsisNew paperback edition of the sniffing, growling, yowling, yelping, eighth helping of John Hegley which contains some of the poet's funniest and most touching poems to date.
£8.99
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Memory of Water
Book SynopsisShelagh Stephenson is an award-winning writer of stage and radio plays. Her most recent work, Enlightenment, premiered at the Abbey Theatre in 2005. Methuen Drama has published a collected edition of the writer's plays: Stephenson Plays: 1.Trade Review'In Shelagh Stephenson's play, three estranged sisters with a long history of failing to get on convene to make arrangements for their mother's cremation.' Alfred Hickling, Guardian, 1.8.09 'The drama has a fierce, instantly recognisable humanity that is difficult to resist.' Joyce McMillan, Scotsman, 17.07.10
£10.99
Dover Publications Inc. Oedipus Rex
Book SynopsisOne of the greatest of the classic Greek tragedies and a masterpiece of dramatic construction. Catastrophe ensues when King Oedipus discovers he has inadvertently killed his father and married his mother. Masterly use of dramatic irony greatly intensifies impact of agonizing events. Sophocles'' finest play, Oedipus Rex ranks as a towering landmark of Western drama. Explanatory footnotes.
£5.02
Faber & Faber Look Back in Anger
Book SynopsisAnyone who's never watched someone die is suffering from a pretty bad case of virginity. Look Back in Anger premiered at the Royal Court Theatre, London, in 1956. 'John Osborne didn't contribute to British theatre: he set off a landmine called Look Back in Anger and blew most of it up.' Alan Sillitoe 'A story of youthful insecurity inflamed by lack of opportunity and the terrifying, destabilizing force of love . . . Jimmy Porter could fill an opera house with his bellowing hunger for a bigger, better life and a loyal love to share it with.' New York Times 'Look Back in Anger presents post-war youth as it really is. To have done this at all would be a signal achievement; to have done it in a first play is a minor miracle. All the qualities are there, qualities one had despaired of ever seeing on the stage - the drift towards anarchy, the instinctive leftishness, the automatic rejection of official attitudes, the surrealist sense of humour, the casual promiscuity, the sense of lacking a
£10.44
Faber & Faber Plays2 The Caretaker Night School The Dwarfs The
Book SynopsisThe second volume of Harold Pinter''s collected work includes The Caretaker.The CaretakerIt was with this play that Harold Pinter had his first major success. The obsessive caretaker, Davies, is a classic comic creation, and his uneasy relationship with the enigmatic Aston and Mick a landmark in twentieth-century drama.''The play remains a masterpiece.'' Daily TelegraphThe CollectionThis one-act play for television explores the sexual manoeuvres between two couples in the clothing trade.''Taps the adrenal flow of contemporary guilt and anxiety.'' TimeThe LoverRichard and Sarah conduct themselves with apparent respectability in the mornings, whilst living out a sequence of erotic rituals in the afternoons.''Beautifully written... the sexiest play I remember seeing on the television.'' Sunday TimesThe volume also includes Night School and The Dwarfs, plus five re
£17.09
Faber & Faber Prufrock and Other Observations Poet to Poet An
Book SynopsisIncluded in Prufrock and Other Observations are the following poems:The Love Song of J. Alfred PrufrockPortrait of a LadyPreludesRhapsody on a Windy NightMorning at the WindowThe Boston Evening TranscriptAunt HelenCousin NancyMr. ApollinaxHysteriaConversation GalanteLa Figlia Che Piange
£8.54
Faber & Faber River
Book SynopsisFirst published in 1983, River celebrates fluvial landscapes, their creatures and their regenerative powers.Inspired by Hughes''s love of fishing and by his environmental activism, the poems are a deftly and passionatelyattentive chronicle of change over the course of the seasons. West Country rivers predominate (''The West Dart''and ''Torridge''), but other poems imagine or recall Japanese rivers or Celtic rivers, and ''The Gulkana'' exploresan ancient Alaskan watercourse. At its core the sequence rehearses, in various settings, from winter to winter,the life-cycle of the salmon.All this, too, is stitched into the torn richness,The epic poiseThat holds him so steady in his wounds, so loyal to his doom,so patientIn the machinery of heaven.from ''October Salmon''
£10.44
Faber & Faber Up Late
Book SynopsisNick Laird''s powerful new collection reflects on the strange and chaotic times we live in. Reeling in the face of collapsing systems and the banalities and distortions of modern life, the poet confronts age-old anxieties, questions of aloneness, friendship, illness and death, the push and pull of daily existence.Laird is a poet capable of heading off in any and every direction, where layers of association transport us from a harbour in County Cork to the library steps in New York's Washington Square, from a face-off between Freud and Michelangelo's Moses to one between the poet and a squirrel in a Kilburn garden. And at the heart of the collection lies the title sequence ''Up Late'', a profound meditation on a father's dying, and winner of the 2022 Forward Prize for Best Single Poem.There is conflation and conflagration, rage and fire, neither of which are seen as necessarily destructive. But there is great tenderness, too, a fondness for what grows between the crac
£12.34
Faber & Faber Bright Fear
Book SynopsisFollowing their award-winning debut, Flèche (2019), comes Mary Jean Chan's gleaming second collection: Bright Fear. Through poems which engage fearlessly with intertwined themes of identity, multilingualism and postcolonial legacy, Chan''s latest work explores a family's evolving dynamics, as well as microaggressions stemming from queerphobia and anti-Asian racism that accompanied the Covid pandemic.Yet Bright Fear remains deeply attuned to moments of beauty, tenderness and grace. It asks how we might find a home within our own bodies, in places both distant and near, and in the constructed space' of the poem. The contemplative central sequence, Ars Poetica, traces the radically healing and transformative role of poetry during the poet's teenage and adult years, culminating in a polyphonic reconciliation of tongues. Throughout, Chan offers us new and galvanising ways to withstand the quotidian tug- / of-war between terror and love'.[Chan]
£10.44
Samuel French Ltd Ernies Incredible Illucinations
Book SynopsisThis is a bright comedy by the famous English comic playwright about the extraordinary powers of Ernie Fraser, a dreamer with a difference. Ernie has a vivid imagination; and his thoughts have the disconcerting habit of turning into reality....
£20.37
British Library Publishing Shakespeares First Folio
Book SynopsisPublished to mark the 400th anniversary of the book's original publication, this facsimile edition faithfully reproduces one of the finest copies held in the British Library collections.
£93.75
John Wiley and Sons Ltd The Prophet
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAn Introduction by Tom Butler-Bowdon vii About Tom Butler-Bowdon xvii The Prophet 1
£10.79
Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies,US King John
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAct 1Act 2Act 3Act 4Act 5
£7.60
Arizona Center for Medieval & Renaissance Studies,US Measure for Measure
Book SynopsisTable of ContentsAct 1Act 2Act 3Act 4Act 5
£9.81
Austin Macauley Publishers O.N.E Opportunities Never End
Book Synopsis
£5.99
Austin Macauley Publishers I Saw a Little Fox
Book Synopsis
£13.49
The 87 Press Glitchwork
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£15.29
W. W. Norton & Company Two Minds
a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.
£16.08
Bloomsbury Publishing PLC The Convert
Book SynopsisIt''s 1896 in Southern Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and Jekesai, a young Shona girl, escapes a forced arranged marriage by converting to Christianity and becoming a protégé to an African Evangelical. As anti-colonial sentiments spread throughout the native population, Jekesai is forced to choose between her family''s traditions and her newfound faith.This Student Edition of Danai Gurira''s 2012 play The Convert includes a commentary by Aviva Neff.
£12.34
Bloomsbury Publishing (UK) Druid Theatre 19752025
£23.74
Hodder & Stoughton Black Liturgies
Book SynopsisIn the summer of 2020, Cole Arthur Riley was desperate for a spirituality she could trust. Amidst ongoing national racial violence, the isolation of the pandemic, and a surge of anti-Black rhetoric in many Christian spaces, she began dreaming of a harbour for a more human, more liberating expression of faith. She went on to create Black Liturgies, a digital project that connects spiritual practice with Black emotion, memory, and the Black body.In this book, she deepens the work of that project, bringing together new prayers, letters, poetry, meditation questions, breath practice, and the writings of Black literary ancestors to offer 43 liturgies that can be practised individually or as a community. With a poet''s touch and a sensitivity that has made her one of the most important spiritual voices at work today, Riley invites readers to reflect on their own experiences of wonder, rest, rage, and repair, while also including liturgies for holidays like Lent, Advent and Mother''s Day.For those healing from spiritual spaces that were more violent than loving; for those who have escaped the trauma of white Christian nationalism, religious homophobia, and transphobia; for anyone asking what it means to be human in a world of both beauty and terror; Black Liturgies is a work of healing and liberation, and a vision for what might be.
£10.44
John Murray Press Magic Enuff
Book SynopsisGod can stay asleep / these women in my life are magic enuffAn electrifying collection of poems that tells a universal tale of survival and revolution through the lens of Black femininity. Tara Stringfellow embraces complexity, grappling with the sometimes painful, sometimes wonderful way two conflicting things can be true at the same time. How it''s possible to have a strong voice and also feel silenced. To be loyal to things and people that betray us. To burn as hot with rage as we do with love.Each poem asks how we can heal and sustain relationships with people, systems, and ourselves. How to reach for the kind of real love that allows for the truth of anger, disappointment, and grief. Unapologetic, unafraid, and glorious in its nuance, this collection argues that when it comes to living in our full humanity, we have - and we are - magic enough.
£13.49
Little, Brown Book Group The Cat Prince
Book SynopsisWINNER of the 2023 Books Are My Bag Readers Award for Best Poetry Collection''Pedersen bends words like no-one else. There''s a naughtiness, an innocence and surprising vulnerability in this collection. It''s poetry to intoxicate. Just sublime.'' Juno Dawson ''Every page of The Cat Prince brought me gladsome joy. Pedersen has the astonishing power of finding the astonishing in every moment that deserves a raised glass'' Daljit Nagra''This laser focused collection of poetry by Michael Pedersen will gut you like a fish and smash your heart in. Searingly specific, exquisite and requisite. I relished reading every tiny morsel of it'' Shirley Manson''Open-hearted, gut-wrenching and yet elegiac, these poems pack a hefty emotional punch. Michael Pederson''s poems display a huge vocabulary for love, love in all its many forms and guises. These poems chart the journey from boyhood to manhood, the highs and the lows, the lo
£10.44
Headline Publishing Group The Truth About Magic
Book SynopsisFrom the internationally bestselling author of Love Her Wild and The Dark Between Stars comes The Truth About Magic, a fresh, awakened journey outwards. An adventure into the great unknown.It''s about finding ourselves, our purpose, and the simple joys of life. It''s about lavender fields, drinking white wine out of oak barrels in vineyards, laughing until you cry, dancing in wood barns with people you love until the sun comes up, eating food that makes you say, ''wow,'' making love on sandy beaches on the coast of Spain. It''s a vibrant, transcendent journey into growth. A book that will leave you smiling, energised and booking flights to far off beaches.Trade ReviewA modern day Byron. * The Times *In the simplest way, Atticus captures those little things that make life magic. * Karlie Kloss *The entire read is the feeling of a soft summer love song - full of lust and longing. * CBC News *
£15.29
Pan Macmillan Much Ado About Nothing
Book SynopsisComedy and tragedy intertwine when two very different couples fall in and out of love in Shakespeare's Much Ado About Nothing. Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. This edition features illustrations by renowned artist Sir John Gilbert and an introduction from Professor Tiffany Stern.Whilst Beatrice and Benedick both despise love, exchanging insults and mockery rather than vows, for Hero and Claudio it is love at first sight. But as their marriage preparations begin, so too do Don John’s dirty tricks. Can his scheming get in the way of true love? And can an elaborate plan to bring fiery Beatrice and cynical Benedick closer together really come off? In Much Ado About Nothing, one of Shakespeare’s most popular plays, nothing is quite what it seems.Trade ReviewShakespeare’s voice rings down the ages, and, as with innumerable other human matters, we would do well to listen to it * Independent *When I read Shakespeare I am struck with wonder that such trivial people should muse and thunder in such lovely language -- D. H. LawrenceThe remarkable thing about Shakespeare is that he is really very good -- Robert Graves
£9.49
Pan Macmillan Women of the Harlem Renaissance: Poems & Stories
Book SynopsisThe Harlem Renaissance was a cultural movement that saw an explosion of Black art, music and writing, yet few female creatives are remembered alongside their male counterparts.Part of the Macmillan Collector’s Library; a series of stunning, clothbound, pocket-sized classics with gold foiled edges and ribbon markers. These beautiful books make perfect gifts or a treat for any book lover. Women of the Harlem Renaissance is edited by Marissa Constantinou and introduced by Professor Kate Dossett.Exploring subjects from love, loss and motherhood to jazz, passing and Jim Crow law, the poems and stories collected in this anthology celebrate the women of colour at the heart of the movement. Alice Dunbar-Nelson parades through New Orleans in ‘A Carnival Jangle’ whilst Carrie Williams Clifford takes to Fifth Avenue in ‘Silent Protest Parade’, and Nella Larsen seeks a mother’s protection in ‘Sanctuary’. Showcasing popular authors alongside writers you might discover for the first time, this collection of daring and disruptive writing encapsulates early twentieth-century America in surprising and beautiful ways.
£10.44
