by Matthew Sweeney (Editor), Matthew Sweeney (Editor), Jo Shapcott (Editor)
Emergency Kit is an anthology with many differences. It is, to begin with, a book which gives prominence to poems rather than to the poets who wrote them. It is truly international, bringing together poems not just from these islands but from many parts of the English-speaking world. It is the first book to identify a strain in the poetry of the last half-century which is characteristic of the 'strange times' we live in - an age when, as the editors note, scientific discovery itself has encouraged us to 'make free with the boundaries of realism'. It values imagination, surprise, vivid expression, the outlandish and the playful above ideology and sententiousness. It is, in short, living proof that poetry in the English language continues to thrive and to matter.
Format: Paperback
Pages: 336
Edition: Main
Publisher: Faber & Faber
Published: 02 Sep 2004
ISBN 10: 0571223001
ISBN 13: 9780571223008
Book Overview: Emergency Kit, edited by Jo Shapcott and Matthew Sweeney is a poetry anthology which values imagination, surprise, vivid expression, and the outlandish and playful above the ideological and the sententious.