15bestpoetrybooksofalltime

FromShakespearetoSeamusHeaney,there'ssomethingforeveryoneinthislist
ofthebestpoetrycollectionsofalltime

Bestpoetrybooksofalltime(clockwisefromtopleft):AllenGinsbergJohnMilton'sParadiseLost
SelectedPoemsofLordByronWendyCopePhoto:APHandoutJeffGilbert

11:00AMBST20Apr2014

TheSelectedPoemsofLiPo
LiPo(c750AD)
Remarkablefortheirsuccinctnessandapparentlythrowawayinsights,thesepoems
delightedtheirChinesereadersinthe8thcenturyand,inthehandsofvarious
interpretersinthe20th,suchasEzraPound,broughtnewlifetoEnglishpoetry(aswell
astoMahler).

Sonnets

WilliamShakespeare(1609)
Theseareconsideredthebestsonnetsever,andthebestlovepoemsever.Thepoetputs
hiscrafttosituationsthatcallforallhismusicalityandreasontheresultsattainakindof
perfection.

ParadiseLost
JohnMilton(1667)
ThebrainiestpoettowriteinEnglishcouldsomehowwrenchthelanguagearoundand
stillmakeitspeakinsonorous,memorablecadences:hisambitioninParadiseLostis
breathtaking,butsoisthefactthathedelivered.

LyricalBallads
WilliamWordsworthandSamuelTaylorColeridge(1798)
Thiscollaborationsetouttochangepoetry,andwhileitremainseasytomock,the
authorspulleditoff.Ifelaborate,overfussyclassicalreferencesseemoutofplacenext
tomorestraightforwardobservationsandtales,LyricalBalladsheraldedthechange.

DonJuan
LordByron(18191824)
ForallByronsreputationasthegreatRomantic,hewasactuallydevotedtocleverjokes
andattacksonhispeersworthyofAlexanderPopefortheirsmartness.DonJuanisa
triumphofthisstyle:anarrativefollowingajournalonwhichtroubleistheonly
predictablething.

EugeneOnegin
AlexanderPushkin(1825)
Pushkinsmasterpieceisanovelinverse,aboutlovebadlytimed,rivalriesand
lonelinessbutwithhighlyentertainingdigressionsandvibrantcharacters.(Vikram
SethsTheGoldenGateisajoyousnarrativepoemaboutSanFranciscointhesame
form.)

TheManwithNightSweats
ThomGunn(1992)
Gunnbroughtadictionandsmartnessto20thcenturypoetrythatrecalledthe
MetaphysicalssuchasJohnDonne.Thegrimthemeofhispenultimatecollectionalmost
demandedit:theimpactofHIVandAidsonthegaycommunityhehadhymnedin
earlierbooks.

LeavesofGrass
WaltWhitman(1855)
IttookawhileforAmericatorealisehowvitalWhitmansexuberant,potentandfrank
outpouringswouldbetoitsnationalidentity.Hisstatusisnowsecure,andatleast
Whitmanhimselfneverdoubtedit.

TheCollectedPoemsofEmilyDickinson
EmilyDickinson(published1890onwards,posthumously)
EmilyDickinsonspentmuchofherlifeathomeinAmherst,butalsoinakindof
ecstasy:hertinybutexplosivepoemsdazzlewithcolour,alongsideinsightsintofame,
mortalityandthesoul.Herworkbecamemorewidelyknownwhenhersisterdiscovered
itafterherdeath.

TheWasteLand
TSEliot(1922)

Eliotchangedpoetryforeverwhenhedrewonhispersonalpaintoaccountforthe
wreckagethatwasEuropeaftertheGreatWar.Hismishmashofstyles,voicesand
referencesareseductiveandclever,butpointedtotheculturalproblemsheidentified.

Howl,KaddishandOtherPoems
AllenGinsberg(1961)
PerhapsmorethanHowl,KaddishisGinsbergsintense,intimateconfession.Itisa
harrowingaccountofhismothersdeath,anddeclineyieldstoanexultantversionofthe
Jewishprayerforthedead.

BirthdayLetters
TedHughes(1998)
Throughouthislife,HughessaidnothingabouthismarriagetoSylviaPlathuntilthese
poems.Amemoirofarelationshipthatcouldbesustainingaswellastroubled.

Dart

AliceOswald(2002)
DartfollowstheriverfromDartmoortoDartmouth,andissteepedinthevoicesof
peoplewhoselivesarevitallylinkedtoit.Theresultgivestheriverlife,too,asitfinds
andlosesitsownidentity.

FamilyValues
WendyCope(2011)
Inperhapsherbestcollectiontodate,Copebalancesherobservationsofpresentquirks
(suchaseccentricswhogotoconcerts)withmemoriesofherchildhoodandfamily.
Readerswillwelcomethewarmthandsimplicityofherlovepoems,too.

TheDivineComedy
Dante(13081321)
DantesjourneythroughHell,PurgatoryandParadiseissometimesstartling,sometimes
evengrotesque,butitteachesusaboutdivinelove,andhumanlove,andgivesusa
lessonintheuseofstrikingimageryandsymbolism.

THEOTHERCONTENDERS
SongsandSonnets
JohnDonne(1633)

Faust(PartIandPartII)
JohannWolfgangvonGoethe(1808,1832)

LesFleursduMal
CharlesBaudelaire(18571861)

SelectedPoems
JohnClare(publishedposthumously)

MontageofaDreamDeferred
LangstonHughes(1951)

StationIsland
SeamusHeaney(1984)

TwentyPoemsofLoveandaSongofDespair
PabloNeruda(1924)

TheGoldenGate
VikramSeth(1986)

SelectedPoetry
YehudaAmichai(2000)

WhiteEgrets
DerekWalcott(2010)

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