The Clinic, Memory: New and Selected Poems

New
Paperback
2017
$15.05

Elaine Feinstein's poems are the harvest of a lifetime in literature. This selection, made by the author herself, gathers work from over half a century of published writing, and is completed by a section of new poems.The selection ranges from early poems of feminist rebellion and tender observation of children to elegies for the poet's father and close friends, reflections on middle-age, the conflicts in a long marriage, and meditations on the lot of refugees. In new poems Feinstein records her treatment for cancer, her feelings of dread in the clinic and unexpected moments of 'extravagant happiness'. The exploration of memory is at once a source of ironic amusement and an acknowledgement of human transience.

Synopsis

Elaine Feinstein's poems are the harvest of a lifetime in literature. This selection, made by the author herself, gathers work from over half a century of published writing, and is completed by a section of new poems.The selection ranges from early poems of feminist rebellion and tender observation of children to elegies for the poet's father and close friends, reflections on middle-age, the conflicts in a long marriage, and meditations on the lot of refugees. In new poems Feinstein records her treatment for cancer, her feelings of dread in the clinic and unexpected moments of 'extravagant happiness'. The exploration of memory is at once a source of ironic amusement and an acknowledgement of human transience.

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More Information

Format: Paperback
Pages: 192
Edition: 1
Publisher: Carcanet Press Ltd
Published: 23 Feb 2017
ISBN 10: 1784103209
ISBN 13: 9781784103200
Book Overview: Poems range from elegies to the poet's father and close friends, to reflections on middle-age, the conflicts in a long marriage, and meditations on the lot of refugeesConfronts the encroachments of old age with a wry acceptance of human diminishingA legendary performer of her own work and work in translationElaine's themes often centre around Jewishness and her cultural heritageShe has her own website here http://www.elainefeinstein.com/She is Ted Hughes' biographerGetting older is universal - many readers can relateWomen will recognise many of the situations touched on in the book

Media Reviews

'Elaine Feinstein has made the juncture between poetry and memoir her own. As befits a poet who is also a master of fiction and biography, she writes with casual erudition and an acute storyteller's eye. Her forays into European culture and history are dazzling.' Fiona Sampson; 'For more than 40 years, Feinstein has been writing intensely lyrical, finely crafted poems.' Independent; 'Here we have a life, a person in the world opened up with intelligence and tact.' Martina Evans, The Irish Times

Author Bio

Elaine Feinstein read English at Cambridge, and lived there for a quarter of a century with her husband and three children, supervising undergraduates and writing poems novels and plays as well as reviews for most newspapers. In 1959 Charles Olson sent her his famous letter defining breath prosody, but she developed her own voice through making versions of the poems of Marina Tsvetaeva, a New York Times Book of the Year. She has travelled extensively, to read her poetry at major festivals across the world has been translated into most European languages. In 1981 she was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature and later served on the Council. In 1990, she received a Cholmondeley Award for Poetry, and was given an Honorary D.Litt from the University of Leicester. In the same year, her novel Mother's Girl was shortlisted for the Los Angeles Times fiction prize. In 2004 she received a major Arts Council Award for The Russian Jerusalem. Her first novel, The Circle (1970) was long listed for the 'lost' Man Booker prize in 2010. Her five biographies include Ted Hughes: The Life of a Poet (2001) shortlisted for the biennial Marsh Biography Prize, and re-issued in 2016; and Anna of all the Russias: The life of Annna Akhmatova (2005) which has been translated into twelve languages, including Russian. She has served as a judge for all the major literary Awards, and was Chairman of the Judges for the T.S. Eliot Prize in 1995.