This eye-catching and well-presented anthology of 20th-century
poetry bears cover plaudits by distinguished literary figures from
Jane Campion to Philip Pullman. The faintly apocalyptic title gives
the book a sense of urgency and importance that is fully justified
by the outstanding contents. Divided into 12 sections with titles
such as 'Body and Soul', 'Growing Up' and 'Disappearing Acts', the
poems included cover every area of physical and emotional life and
are thoughtfully and subtly arranged. They range from old
favourites like Robert Frost's 'Stopping By Woods on a Snowy
Evening' and Jenny Joseph's 'Warning' through works made famous
through films and songs - Auden's 'Funeral Blues', recited in 'Four
Weddings and a Funeral', is the most famous example - to less well
known but equally appealing pieces such as Sujata Bhatt's 'White
Asparagus'. Many have been brilliantly translated from other
languages, such as Wislawa Szymbroska's clear-eyed and moving 'The
End and the Beginning', about rebuilding after war, and Janos
Pilinszky's touching snapshot of life, 'On the Back of a
Photograph'. All are accessible, by turns merry, sorrowful and
thought-provoking, and always full of truth and life. This is an
anthology for everyone, and a glorious celebration of the vitality
of modern poetry. (Kirkus UK)
Staying Alive is an international anthology of 500 life-affirming
poems fired by belief in the human and the spiritual at a time when
much in the world feels unreal, inhuman and hollow. These are poems
of great personal force connecting our aspirations with our
humanity, helping us stay alive to the world and stay true to
ourselves. Many people turn to poetry only at unreal times, whether
for consolation in loss or affirmation in love, or when facing
other extremes and anxieties. Staying Alive includes many of the
great modern love poems and elegies, but it also shows the power of
poetry in celebrating the ordinary miracle, taking you on a journey
around many of the different aspects of everyday life explored in
poems. A strong poem is not just for crisis. Such a poem is there
for all times, helping us face or embrace daily change and
disruption. It will also speak to us when nothing seems to be
happening, when the poem's importance is in helping us stay alive
to the world and stay true to ourselves. Staying Alive has reached
a wider readership than any other anthology of contemporary poetry.
It is a landmark in the history of literary publishing. The first
in a series, Staying Alive was followed by a sequel, Being Alive
(2004), a companion anthology, Being Human (2011), and by a fourth
volume, Staying Human: new poems for Staying Alive (2020). These
anthologies have been welcomed not only by poets but by a wide
range of well-known people respected for their work in fields other
than poetry - all avid readers of poetry. They want to recommend
these books above all other anthologies of contemporary poetry.
General
Is the information for this product incomplete, wrong or inappropriate?
Let us know about it.
Does this product have an incorrect or missing image?
Send us a new image.
Is this product missing categories?
Add more categories.
Review This Product
No reviews yet - be the first to create one!
Welcome to Loot.co.za!
Sign in / Register |Wishlists & Gift Vouchers |Help | Advanced search
