Seamus Heaney: Selected Poems 1966-1987

by Seamus Heaney

Genres: Poetry

Hardcover

Published August 16, 1990

About the author

Works of Irish poet Seamus Justin Heaney reflect landscape, culture, and political crises of his homeland and include the collections Wintering Out (1972) and Field Work (1979) as well as a translation of Beowulf (1999). He won the Nobel Prize for literature in 1995.

This writer and lecturer won this prize "for works of lyrical beauty and ethical depth, which exalt everyday miracles and the living past."

Heaney on Wikipedia.

Reviews

[Chris]

One of those books where you whenever you pick it up you spend a moment or so looking at it in reverence because it feels like you’re holding something magical.

Heaney is incredible. Make no mistake though, this is study poetry. You’re going to have to look up historical context and references in order to fully understand his work. But it’s well worth it, and incredibly rewarding. It’s fitting that the volume starts off with Digging, because as a reader that’s what he expects you to do alongside him in order to expose buried meaning. It gets easier as it goes, and you start to spot consistent themes and devices.

Going from collection to collection felt like I was witnessing Heaney’s life story from inside his own head, illustrated through consistently beautiful and brilliant words and imagery. He absolutely nails that core pillar of poetry for me: creating and communicating feelings and moments in an utterly real manner. Like plugging into his brain and experiencing a life, identity, and world view I had never conceived of before. From start to finish (but especially as it goes on), his writing is incredibly intimate, vulnerable, and human.

I feel like I should say more, talk about specific poems, etc. but I’m worried anything else I say won’t do it justice. 5 stars.

[Justin Wiggins]

I found this really nice cheap paperback copy of Seamus Heaney's poetry at Reader's Corner in Raleigh, North Carolina. Reading this volume of poetry by Heaney traces the beginning of his vocation as a poet, and conveys his love for Ireland, language, myth, literature, art, and the complexity of being human. My favorite poem from the book is "Digging." Reading it numerous times brought back good memories of visiting Heaney's grave in Bellaghy, Northern Ireland. Heaney is my favorite poet, and has been a great inspiration to me on my journey as a writer.

[Emily Magnus]

I googled “poets to read when you like O Donohue, Padraig and Mary Oliver” and Heaney came up but honestly I found approximately 2 lines I liked in almost 400 pages. Didn’t scratch my itch but maybe it was just time and place!

POTB: “How perilous is it to choose not to love the life we're shown?”

[Ruth]

Read cover to cover during a weird heatwave in Scotland. A very pleasant experience, but no major knockdown WOW moments.