Poetry and War is an anthology of poetry and prose collected from both the First and Second World War. Simon Featherstone examines the poetry in its intellectual and historical contexts, stressing the continuities and revisions of pre- and inter-war writing and work. The anthology focusses on the importance of war poetry for an understanding of British culture rather than just the British experience of war. The selection of poets and writers--Bertrand Russell, Herbert Read, Robert Graves, Israel Zangwill, David Jones, Virginia Woolf, Edgell Rickword, Arthus Koestler, Stephen Spender, Ivor Gurney, Wilfred Owen, H.D., Alun Lewis--emphasize other issues than front-line experience of battle. The collection also includes hitherto previously excluded and canonically marginalized writers such as the Highland Scot Hamish Henderson and Gaelic poet Sorley Maclean, both who serve up distinctly Scottish versions of the Second World War. A substantial selection of Iovr Guryney's work that revises conventional thinking about war poetry is also included.
War poetry is a major new anthology of war poetry, combined with substantial introductory material by the editor, Simon Featherstone. Demonsrating the full range and diversity of the writing which came out of both World Wars, War Poetry includes selections from lesser-known as well as established poets. Among them are: Ivor Gurney; Alun Lewis; Isaac Rosenburg; Sorley MacLean; Herbert Read; Wilfred Owen; Hamish Henderson; H.D.; David Jones. The anthology also includes prose extracts from Virginia Woolf; Bertrand Russell; Robert Graves; Edgell Rickword and Stephen Spender, among others. Featherstone's seven introductory chapters are invaluable for students and lovers of the genre, challenging the dominance of the English officer poets in the canon and providing exciting new ways of reading the poems. War Poetry is the first collection to provide such a wide range of material and such clear and thorough guidance to the poems. It offers new perspectives on both poetry as a genre and the place of war poetry in contemporary culture. A wonderful guide to students and poetry lovers alike
