Collected Poems, 1953-1985

by Elizabeth Jennings

Drawn from more than a dozen books and presented in chronological order, the poems in this collection trace the poet's progress from the serious metaphysical poems of her youth, to her secular and religious love-poems, poems about nature and art, and elegies

Genres: Poetry

220 pages, Paperback

First published December 31, 1986

Reviews

[Roger Pettit · Rating 5 out of 5]

I may be wrong - I hope I am! - but I suspect that the work of British poet Elizabeth Jennings (1926-2001) is not as well-known as it deserves to be, even among aficionados of poetry. If that is the case, it's such a shame. Jennings's poems are, for the most part, intelligent and accessible. They are also quiet, restrained and even sometimes austere. But they pack a powerful emotional punch and, once read, are likely to linger longer in the memory than the work of more demonstrative writers.

Elizabeth Jennings's poems cover subjects as varied as religion (primarily Roman Catholicism), art and childhood and include many elegiac pieces about love, grief and memory. This book, which features her work that was published in seventeen individual collections up to 1985, is an excellent one. It is full of often hauntingly beautiful poems, all written in the author's trademark style of clarity, precision, scrupulousness and simplicity. There are so many marvellous poems in this collection that it is perhaps invidious to single any out. But I shall do so nonetheless. Amongst my favourites are "A Game of Cards", a short, simple poem about two people who have been ill, who seemingly love each other and who are playing cards together; "Afternoon in Florence", another short poem whose title says it all; and "Bonnard", another short piece, about the work of the French artist. Jennings is not averse to tackling difficult or unfashionable issues, such as mental illness. Two of the poems in this book - "A Mental Hospital Sitting-Room" and "The Interrogator" are powerfully effective works on that particular subject.

Elizabeth Jennings is a first-rate poet. This book is a wonderful collection and will be enjoyed by anyone who likes to read intelligent, serious and accessible poetry. I cannot recommend it too highly. 10/10.

[Michael P. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Finished it on my second reading, but it was only Jenning's reputation that kept my nose to the grindstone. There are maybe two poems that I thought wonderful and a dozen that I kind of liked. Cleary, her work is just now for me.

[Aine MacAodha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just began reading this wonderful writer.