A Concise Companion to Postwar British and Irish Poetry

This volume introduces students to the most important figures, movements and trends in post-war British and Irish poetry.

The book presents an historical overview and critical introduction to the poetry published in Britain and Ireland over the last half-century; introduces students to figures including Philip Larkin, Ted Hughes, Seamus Heaney, and Andrew Motion; and, takes an integrative approach, emphasizing the complex negotiations between the British and Irish poetic traditions, and pulling together competing tendencies and positions.

The book is written by critics from Britain, Ireland, and the United States.

It is organised around the most important historical and formal intersections of the last 50 years.

It also includes suggestions for further reading and a chronology, detailing the most important writers, volumes and events.