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Poetry by Heart: Poems for Learning and Reciting
by Andrew MotionPoetry by Heart - based on the hugely successful nationwide schools competition, 200 magical poems to learn by heart'The 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 ArmitageTwo years ago former Poet Laureate Andrew Motion had the idea of setting up Poetry by Heart - a nationwide annual competition for secondary schools which asked contestants to learn two or three poems and be judged on their recitations, first at school level, then regional, then in a national final held at London's National Portrait Gallery. It's proved a huge success, with hundreds of schools participating in the first year, and numbers up by 20% in the second. Coinciding with the start of the third year of competition, and published on National Poetry Day whose theme coincidentally in 2014 is Recitation, this Poetry by Heart anthology brings together the pool of poems - 200 altogether - from which contestants make their choices. Specially picked by Motion and his three co-editors, these poems make up a treasure house - of almost-unknown poems and familiar poems from the mainstream; love poems and war poems; funny poems and heartbroken poems; poems that recreate the world we know and poems written on the dark side of the moon. And all chosen with a view to their being recited out loud.From William Wordsworth to Wilfred Owen, Emily Brontë to Elizabeth Bishop this wonderfully enjoyable anthology will be enjoyed by all ages and includes the best poets from the past to the present day. In a groundbreaking feature, the book includes QR codes which allow readers to use their mobile phones to listen to recordings of the poems - many of them specially recorded by the poets themselves. Sir Andrew Motion was Poet Laureate from 1999 till 2009, and is Professor of Creative Writing at Royal Holloway College, London. Jean Sprackland'sTilt won the Costa Poetry award in 2008. She is a Reader in Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University. Julie Blake is co-Founder and Director of The Full English, an organization based in Bristol which provides support to teachers of English Literature. Mike Dixon is an educational consultant specializing in English in the classroom.
Poetics
by AristotleOne of the most powerful, perceptive and influential works of criticism in Western literary history In his near-contemporary account of classical Greek tragedy, Aristotle examines the dramatic elements of plot, character, language and spectacle that combine to produce pity and fear in the audience, and asks why we derive pleasure from this apparently painful process. Taking examples from the plays of Aeschylus, Sophocles and Euripides, the Poetics introduced into literary criticism such central concepts as mimesis ('imitation'), hamartia ('error') and katharsis ('purification'). Aristotle explains how the most effective tragedies rely on complication and resolution, recognition and reversals. The Poetics has informed thinking about drama ever since.Translated with an Introduction and Notes by Malcolm Heath
Poems on the Underground
by Gerard Benson, Judith Chernaik and Cicely Herbert Gerard Benson Judith Chernaik Cicely HerbertThis wonderful new edition of Poems on the Underground is published to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Underground in 2013. Here 230 poems old and new, romantic, comic and sublime explore such diverse topics as love, London, exile, families, dreams, war, music and the seasons, and feature poets from Sappho to Carol Ann Duffy and Wendy Cope, including Chaucer and Shakespeare, Milton, Blake and Shelley, Whitman and Dickinson, Yeats and Auden, Seamus Heaney and Derek Walcott and a host of younger poets. It includes a new foreword and over two dozen poems not included in previous anthologies.
Poems of Thomas Hardy
by Thomas HardyThomas Hardy wrote some of the most moving and personal poems in his era and this collection brings together the best of his verse on life and love.Hardy's poems are by turn haunting, intense, songlike humerous and tender. From snatched lovers' meetings to the wreck of the Titanic from the death of a Dorest drummer boy in the Boer War to memories of his dead wife Emma, from ghosts, loss and longing to pleasure in landscape and weather, they tell the story of one of our best-loved writers, and the people and places that inspired him.
Poems of Robert Burns Selected by Ian Rankin
by Robert BurnsThe farmer’s boy from Ayrshire who went on to be the most acclaimed of all Scottish poets, celebrated around the world, Robert Burns is a greater and more varied artist than those that know him only through annual Burns’ Suppers and choruses of his ‘Auld Lang Syne’ at New Year could imagine. This new selection by Ian Rankin of verses and lyrics from Scotland’s national poet, the ‘Heaven-taught ploughman’, reveals a writer capable of evoking tremendous sympathetic power from his readers and with an easy, astonishing command of the sounds and rhythms of both standard English and the evocative Scots tongue. It also reveals an artist of incredible range. His ‘Tam O’ Shanter’, with its midnight pursuit of witches from a grisly graveyard dance, is gripping, fantastical and funny in equal measure, ‘Is there for honest poverty’ beautifully expresses the egalitarian spirit by which Burns became a political hero for so many, and sentiments both romantic (‘Ae Fond Kiss’) and bawdy (‘The Fornicator’) co-exist in this canny selection of the best of the Scottish Bard.
Poems of John Milton
by John MiltonJohn Milton was a master of almost every type of verse, from the classical to the religious and from the lyrical to the epic. This is a new selection of his poems, edited and introduced by Claire Tomalin.
Poems of John Keats
by John KeatsOver the course of his short life, John Keats (1795-1821) honed a raw talent into a brilliant poetic maturity. By the end of his brief career, he had written poems of such beauty, imagination and generosity of spirit, that he had - unwittingly - fulfilled his wish that he should 'be among the English poets after my death'. This new, wide-ranging selection of Keats's poetry has been selected by Claire Tomalin.
Poems and Prose (Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Ser.)
by Gerard HopkinsCloser to Dylan Thomas than Matthew Arnold in his 'creative violence' and insistence on the sound of poetry, Gerard Manley Hopkins was no staid, conventional Victorian. On entering the Society of Jesus at the age of twenty-four, he burnt all his poetry and 'resolved to write no more, as not belonging to my profession, unless by the wishes of my superiors'. The poems, letters and journal entries selected for this edition were written in the following twenty years of his life, and published posthumously in 1918. His verse is wrought from the creative tensions and paradoxes of a poet-priest who wanted to evoke the spiritual essence of nature sensuously, and to communicate this revelation in natural language and speech-rhythms while using condensed, innovative diction and all the skills of poetic artifice.
Poems and Letters: Selections, with the 1550 Vasari Life
by MichelangeloMichelangelo Buonarroti (1475-1564) is universally celebrated as one of the greatest artists of all time, yet iconic Renaissance creator was also a prolific and gifted poet. The verses collected here are primarily devoted to love and religion. Intense and passionate, the love poems focus on two figures: Tommaso de Cavalieri and Vittoria Colonna; with the sonnets and madrigals dedicated to de Cavalieri revealing a highly charged, homoerotic fervour - previously obscured in the original versions. Michelangelo's later religious poetry moves away from his earlier wordly concerns, while his letters provide a fasicnating insight into his fanily relations and day-to-day life as a working artist. The result is a revealing picture of one of the towering figures of the Renaissance.
Poems and Ballads & Atalanta in Calydon
by Algernon Charles SwinburneThis volume brings together Swinburne's major poetic works, ATALANTA IN CALYDON (1865) and POEMS AND BALLADS (1866). ATALANTA IN CALYDON is a drama in classical Greek form, which revealed Swinburne's metrical skills and brought him celebrity. POEMS AND BALLADS brought him notoriety and demonstrates his preoccupation with de Sade, masochism, and femmes fatales. Also reproduced here is 'Notes on Poems and Reviews', a pamphlet Swinburne published in 1866 in response to hostile reviews of POEMS AND BALLADS.
Poems (Penguin Clothbound Poetry)
by Wilfred OwenA collectible new Penguin Classics series: stunning, clothbound editions of ten favourite poets, which present each poet's most famous book of verse as it was originally published. Designed by the acclaimed Coralie Bickford-Smith and beautifully set, these slim, A format volumes are the ultimate gift editions for poetry lovers. Poems is Wilfred Owen's only volume of poetry, first published posthumously in 1920 and edited by his friend and mentor, Siegfried Sassoon. Owen is regarded as one of the best poets of World War I and composed nearly all of his poems in just over a year, between August 1917 and September 1918. Owen was virtually unknown at the time of his death, yet his poetic account of a soldier's experience of war has shaped our impression of the horrors of the Western Front. This collection includes the well-known 'Anthem for Doomed Youth' and 'Dulce et Decorum Est'.
Poems
by Li Po Tu FuLi Po (AD 701-62) and Tu Fu (AD 712-70) were devoted friends who are traditionally considered to be among China's greatest poets. Li Po, a legendary carouser, was an itinerant poet whose writing, often dream poems or spirit-journeys, soars to sublime heights in its descriptions of natural scenes and powerful emotions. His sheer escapism and joy is balanced by Tu Fu, who expresses the Confucian virtues of humanity and humility in more autobiographical works that are imbued with great compassion and earthy reality, and shot through with humour. Together these two poets of the T'ang dynasty complement each other so well that they often came to be spoken of as one - 'Li-Tu' - who covers the whole spectrum of human life, experience and feeling.
The Poems (Classics Ser.)
by CatullusOne of the most versatile of Roman poets, Catullus wrote verse of an almost unparalleled diversity and stylistic agility, from the brevity of the epigram to the sustained elegance of the elegy. This collection contains all of Catullus' extant work and includes his lyrics to the notorious Clodia Metelli - married, seductive and corrupt - charting the course from rapturous delight in a new affair to the torment of love gone sour; poems to his young friend Iuventius; and longer verse, such as the extraordinary tale of Attis, a Greek youth who castrates himself in a fit of religious ecstasy. Ranging from the tender, moving and passionate to the vicious and even obscene, these are poems of astonishingly modern force and content.
Poems
by Wang WeiWang Wei, one of Chinese literature's greatest poets, divided his time between the court and his country estate, where he drew inspiration from the mountains and solitude. His poetry affirms his belief in a whole natural order, and his delicately observed descriptions of landscapes are infused throughout with a sense of unity and Buddhist devotion. Yet it also bears testament to the tension Wang Wei experienced in his own life, between that unity and the worldly pleasures of life at court: the result is some of the most memorable poetry in Chinese literature.
A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams
by Jeff PearceThe poor boy who made his fortune . . . not just once but twice.Little Jeff Pearce grew up in a post-war Liverpool slum. His father lived the life of an affluent gentleman whilst his mother was forced to steal bread to feed her starving children. Life was tough and from the moment Jeff could walk he learned to go door to door, begging rags from the rich, which he sold down the markets. Leaving school at the age of fourteen, he embarked on an extraordinary journey, and found himself, before the age of thirty, a millionaire.Then, after a cruel twist of fate left him penniless, he, his wife and children were forced out of their beautiful home . . .With nothing but holes in his pockets, Jeff had no alternative but to go back down the markets and start all over again. Did he still have what it took? Could he really get back everything he had lost?A Pocketful of Holes and Dreams is the heartwarming true story of a little boy who had nothing but gained everything and proof that, sometimes, rags can be turned into riches . . .______________'An inspirational tale of hard work and determination' 5* Reader review 'I just loved this book from the first chapter - I was gripped' 5* Reader review
The Pocket Oracle and Art of Prudence
by Baltasar GraciánWritten over 350 years ago, The Pocket Oracle and the Art of Prudence is a charming collection of 300 witty and thought-provoking aphorisms. From the art of being lucky to the healthy use of caution, these elegant maxims were created as a guide to life, with further suggestions given on cultivating good taste, knowing how to refuse, the foolishness of complaining and the wisdom of controlling one's passions. Baltasar Gracian intended that these ingenious aphorisms would encourage each reader to challenge themselves both in understanding and applying each axiom.
The Pocket Guide to Building Your Own Home
by David SnellHundreds of thousands of us renovate, convert, extend and improve our homes each year, and one-third of all new detached homes are self-built. If you're looking to build your own property from scratch or work on your existing home, this is the book for you. Home building expert, and bestselling author David Snell draws on his expertise and personal experiences of building his own bungalow to bring together the essential information that you need when building your property. Covering everything from budgeting and finance, to evaluating the land and dealing with suppliers this comprehensive guide takes you through the basics to ensure that you are well-equipped to deal with any challenges or problems that may arise. Fully up-to-date and packed with authoritative advice, this practical handbook is essential reading for everyone from those building their own home, to anyone planning some home improvements.
The Pocket Enquire Within: A guide to the niceties and necessities of Victorian domestic life
by George ArmstrongWhat is the correct way to carve a partridge?How should leeches be applied?How can egg whites be used to repair broken china?First published in 1856, Enquire Within rapidly became the indispensable guide to Victorian domestic life. Packed with words of wisdom and pithy advice, it covered everything from entertaining and etiquette to household management, and took in considered discussion of such arcane matters as how singing might prevent consumption, and which ointments will remove freckles, not to mention why chess should on no account ever be played at a ball.This new, charmingly illustrated pocket-sized edition contains a selection of hints and tips that not only provide a fascinating insight into the day-to-day life of Victorian Britain, but also, in places, reveal timeless wisdom that we would do well to heed today.
Pocket Cats: Magical Mayhem (Pocket Cats #8)
by Kitty WellsMaddy has always wanted a cat, but now she's got something even better - three small ceramic cats which come to life and give her magical powers!Maddy is delighted to see Nibs again, and she can't believe her new cat power - she can see ghosts! Maddy's Aunt Tilly's antique shop is being haunted and to undo the curse, Maddy must return an old gold locket to its rightful owner. But how will she figure out who the locket belongs to? With a little bit of magic and a lot of mayhem, Maddy and Nibs are determined to solve the spooky mystery!
Pocket Cats: Lucky Star (Pocket Cats #5)
by Kitty WellsMaddy has always wanted a cat, but now she's got something even better - three small ceramic cats which come to life and give her magical powers!Maddy is thrilled to see Nibs again. But Nibs is NOT happy about their new problem: it involves a dog! Star is a gorgeous golden retriever, but he's sad because his glamorous owner doesn't love him. Can Maddy and Nibs find a way to make him happy?
Pocket Cats: Friends Forever (Pocket Cats #9)
by Kitty WellsMaddy has always wanted a cat, but now she's got something even better - three small ceramic cats which come to life and give her magical powers!When not one, not two, but ALL THREE Pocket Cats come to life, Maddy knows she's in for a big adventure. Maddy is thrilled to see Greykin, Nibs and Ollie together, but triple magic must mean there's a BIG problem to solve. And there is! Poor Maddy is faced with the most difficult decision ever: if she helps her tiny friends, she'll lose them forever... But every cloud has a silver lining, and the little Pocket Cats use their magic powers to give Maddy the most wonderful farewell present she could imagine.
Pocket Cats: Dancing Dreams (Pocket Cats #6)
by Kitty WellsMaddy has always wanted a cat, but now she's got something even better - three small ceramic cats which come to life and give her magical powers!Maddy can hardly wait to start classes at Summer Ballet School. And when Ollie comes to life again, everything is perfect! But of course they have a problem to solve... Maddy's new friend Anna is scared to tell her mum that she doesn't want to be a ballerina. Can Maddy's special cat magic help Anna stand up for her real hopes and dreams?
Pocket Cats: Cat Burglar (Pocket Cats #4)
by Kitty WellsMaddy has always wanted a cat, but now she's got something even better - three small ceramic cats which come to life and give her magical powers!There's a thief in Maddy's neighbourhood, and it's up to Maddy and Greykin to stop them! Determined to catch the thief red-handed, Maddy sets up a stakeout in the back garden. But everything goes wrong, and then something terrible happens: Greykin is stolen! Can Maddy stop the thieves on her own?
Pocket Cats: Double Dare (Pocket Cats #7)
by Kitty WellsMaddy has always wanted a cat, but now she's got something even better - three small ceramic cats which come to life and give her magical powers!When Maddy becomes friends with Esme, the newest, coolest, most popular girl in her class, she can't believe her luck. She's even been invited to her sleepover! Maddy is thrilled, but what about her best friend, Rachel? And even more importantly, what about the problem that she and Greykin need to solve? They have to stop Esme doing the dares she loves so much, before something terrible happens. Will Maddy risk losing Esme's friendship to do the right thing?
Plunder of the Commons: A Manifesto for Sharing Public Wealth (Pelican Books)
by Guy Standing'One of the most important books I've read in years' Brian EnoWe are losing the commons. Austerity and neoliberal policies have depleted our shared wealth; our national utilities have been sold off to foreign conglomerates, social housing is almost non-existent, our parks are cordoned off for private events and our national art galleries are sponsored by banks and oil companies. This plunder deprives us all of our common rights, recognized as far back as the Magna Carta and the Charter of the Forest of 1217, to share fairly and equitably in our public wealth.Guy Standing leads us through a new appraisal of the commons, stemming from the medieval concept of common land reserved in ancient law from marauding barons, to his modern reappraisal of the resources we all hold in common - a brilliant new synthesis that crystallises quite how much public wealth has been redirected to the 1% in recent decades through the state-approved exploitation of everything from our land to our state housing, health and benefit systems, to our justice system, schools, newspapers and even the air we breathe. Plunder of the Commons proposes a charter for a new form of commoning, of remembering, guarding and sharing that which belongs to us all, to slash inequality and soothe our current political instability.