|
Since it was first published in 1965, Poetry Wales has proved to be a highly influencial magazine both within Wales and, in recent years, beyond. It resulted in the setting up of the Poetry Wales Press, which was later renamed Seren, and this prestigious publishing house has produced a very varied list of poetry titles.
Robert Minhinnick has compiled a selection of some of the finest poems to have appeared in the magazine between 1965 and 2005. 'Poetry Wales's greatest achievements,' he writes, 'are that it allows and encourages people to write. It demands that people read. Can one ask more of a literary magazine?'
The poets who are represented include R.S. Thomas, Glyn Jones, Gillian Clarke, Leslie Norris, John Davies, Tony Curtis, Dannie Abse, Ruth Bidgood, Tony Conran, Peter Finch and many more. I was particularly glad to find Jeremy Hookers's 'Elegy for the Labouring Poor' here. Apart from the poems there are also prose items and these take the form of reprinted reviews and essays, including a particularly interesting one on David Jones.
As a regular reader of Poetry Wales I welcome this compilation which is a testimony to the vibrant literarture of the last half century in Wales.
Dewi Roberts
It is possible to use this review for promotional purposes, but the following acknowledgement should be included: A review from www.gwales.com, with the permission of the Welsh Books Council.
Gellir defnyddio’r adolygiad hwn at bwrpas hybu, ond gofynnir i chi gynnwys y gydnabyddiaeth ganlynol: Adolygiad oddi ar www.gwales.com, trwy ganiatad Cyngor Llyfrau Cymru.
|
