Selected Poems

by Jenny Joseph

Selected Poems draws on Jenny Joseph's first four collections of poetry, The Unlooked-for Season (1960), Rose in the Afternoon (1974), The Thinking Heart (1978) and Beyond Descartes (1983). The poems explore the duality of existence, a track that runs through all her work, whether for children or adults, in poetry or prose. Jenny Joseph's Selected Poems includes 'Warning', her much celebrated monologue in which a young woman talks of her fantasies of old age, voted Britain's favourite modern poem in a BBC poll in 2006.

Genres: Poetry

160 pages, Paperback

First published December 1, 1992

About the author

She was born in Birmingham, and with a scholarship, studied English literature at St Hilda's College, Oxford (1950). Her poems were first published when she was at university in the early 1950s. She became a journalist and worked for the Bedfordshire Times, the Oxford Mail and Drum Publications (Johannesburg, South Africa).

Joseph's best known poem, Warning, was written in 1961 and is included in her 1974 collection Rose In the Afternoon and The Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse. Warning was identified as the UK's "most popular post-war poem" in a 1996 poll by the BBC. The second line was the inspiration for the Red Hat Society. Her first book of poems, The Unlooked-for Season won a Gregory Award in 1960 and she won a Cholmondeley Award for her second collection, Rose in the Afternoon in 1974.

Reviews

[Charlotte · Rating 2 out of 5]

I really like the author's poem named Warning, but better known by the first line - When I am an old woman, I shall wear purple. I had not read any of her other poetry but after talking with friends about the poem, Warning, I decided I wanted to read more of her work.
Generally I prefer poems that have rhyme and rhythm, and I usually prefer to read poems of a positive nature, upbeat or even humorous. This book had a few poems I liked, but so many of them were negative and without rhyme or rhythm to appease my taste.
Although I read at least a few lines of each poem in the book, I did not read all of many of them. I found the book disappointing.

[Penélope Albornoz · Rating 2 out of 5]

Algunos poemas me gustaron mucho pero me costó avanzar, la poesía es un género difícil de leer para mí.

[Maame · Rating 2 out of 5]

Book: Selected Poems
Author: Jenny Joseph
Genre: poetry
Published: 1992
Pages: 151
Rating: ★★☆☆☆

“…Carrying her over oceans to remove
The love that reached her in an inland garden.
Looking, she sees no sign of the God’s love
But knows as doom the springing of her own.”
Poem: Danaё (p. 12)

Review:

Selected Poems is a collection of poetry ranging from the early 1960s to the early 1980s. I began reading the first half of this collection many moons ago, but never finished it. I tabbed a few notable poems and have revisited them throughout the years. I decided to dip back into them and complete the book.

The nature of Joseph’s poems focus on time, love, and self-exploration. The way she conceptualizes time…the progression of it, agining, growing apart, etc., is fascinating. Her writing feels melancholy and self-aware. I felt a sense of nostalgia since there’s often a noticeable gap in how older poets and contemporary poets write. Although, stylistically I do prefer older poetry, the downside is it doesn’t feel as outspoken.

When referencing certain topics, such as gender bias, her disapproval was evident, but the way her stance was relayed lacked impact. The bulk of the poems were written at a time when women were viewed as ornamental as opposed to functional. It seems as if Joseph might have felt a reluctance to call society’s ‘norms’ to task.

I felt indifferent about this book. The poems are well crafted and sport beautiful one-liners. Unfortunately, I didn’t find myself connecting with the poems as much as I would have hoped. The overarching premise of the poems felt elusive.

Jenny Joseph’s Selected Poems is certainly a product of its time. Which is not the fault of the book, or to say it’s not worth the read. I just prefer for the poetry I consume to be more vehement. However, I stand by this collection being a solid choice for poetry readers who crave the balance between old school and new school poetry.