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How to Think Like a Poet

The Poets That Made Our World and Why We Need Them

Dai George
From the epic poetry of Homer to works by Audre Lorde focusing on social injustice, Dai George traces the evolution of what is considered ‘poetic’. As he profiles 24 writers he explores how poetry can be both sacred and routine, expressing both the deepest of emotions but also the ephemeral, to reach a sense of how to approach the artform in an era free from traditional constraints. 
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RRP £16.99

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Product information:
  • Publisher: Bloomsbury
  • Year: 2024
  • Format: Hardback
  • Pages: 320pp
  • Illustrated: Yes
  • Dimensions: 222x142mm
  • ISBN: 9781399408301
  • Condition: New
  • Weight: 0.4kg
Product code:
546320
Product information
Full publisher description
An entertaining guide to history's most influential and inspiring poets - from Homer and Sappho to Shakespeare and Frank O'Hara - and how they can teach us to better understand the world around us.

How did the greatest poets in history make the world anew? And what can we learn from the magic, wisdom and humour of their poetry? From the genius of the Ancient Greeks through to the love poetry and metaphysics of the Renaissance, through to the New York poets of the 20th century, this is the ultimate guide to the greatest writers of the human age.

Through short, biographical portraits, poet and writer Dai George provides an entertaining introduction to the great works of poetry, and a welcoming guide to how we can read them. He addresses questions poets have grappled with: How can we truly describe the world? How can we express love, grief or friendship? How can poetry help us to understand justice, dreams or anger?

This book paints vivid pictures of a global selection of renowned poets throughout history: from Sappho, Li Bai and Rumi, to William Shakespeare and John Donne, to Frank O Hara, Pablo Neruda and Sylvia Plath. George also seeks to re-examine the canon, traditionally dominated by Western, white and male poets, and bring to light major figures from other important cultures and communities, including China, India and the Caribbean.
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