Contraflow: An Anthology: Lines of Englishness 1922–2022

by John Greening (Editor), Kevin Gardner, Ian McMillan (Foreword)

Poets have grappled with the vexed question of what constitutes Englishness since time immemorial, and the poetry of the past century has seen perhaps some of the biggest evolutions in national identity. Contraflow takes a completely new approach to the subject of Englishness, and in this stimulating and entertaining anthology two poetic currents flow against each other, so that different decades merge, well-known stanzas brushing shoulders with more neglected verse. What emerges is an extraordinary mosaic of poetic responses to English history, culture and landscape – satirical, visionary, lyrical, comic, political, meditative – yet one which offers a recognisable picture of a land both united and divided through a hundred years.

Genres: Poetry

344 pages, Paperback

Published August 30, 2023

About the author

John Greening is an English poet, playwright, and critic. He studied at the universities of Swansea, Mannheim and Exeter and has won several major honours, including an Arvon Prize, the Bridport Prize, a Cholmondeley Award, a Hawthornden Fellowship and a Scottish Arts Council Award. He has written numerous poetry collections and plays.

Reviews

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

There’s no shortage of excellent poetry anthologies intended to give an overview of British poetry in the Twentieth Century/since the war (First or Second)/from various angles and viewpoints, but Contraflow is something different and exciting. Focusing specifically on English poetry from 1922 - 2022 it is cunningly designed to ensure that poems on similar themes from different decades rub up against each other and spark new ways of seeing and understanding, all with the intention of examining how poets’ approaches to Englishness have evolved over the last century. The editors have taken a wide view, with the result that most poets are represented by a single poem, and none by more than two. This is an admirable approach and both celebrates the multiple voices of Englishness and English poetry and also leads the reader to discover previously unknown poets. John Greening and Kevin Gardner have done an excellent job with Contraflow, with a fascinating introductory ‘Conversation about Englishness’ to set out their approach and impeccable biographical and bibliographical notes. As a survey of a hundred years of British poetry it’s hard to beat.