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Anecdotal Evidence
In her first collection of new poetry since 2011’s acclaimed Family Values, Wendy Cope celebrates ‘the half-forgotten stories of our lives’ with compassion, wisdom and wit. Cope continues to be the most generous of authors, sharing her experience of childhood and marriage and writing poignantly about the passing of time. In several of the poems she reimagines Shakespeare in unorthodox fashion; in others she offers heartfelt tributes to friends and to public figures including Eric Morecambe and John Cage.
Anecdotal Evidence demonstrates the formal brilliance and empathetic insight which have delighted readers for years, and shows why Wendy Cope is one of our best-loved poets.
Anecdotal Evidence demonstrates the formal brilliance and empathetic insight which have delighted readers for years, and shows why Wendy Cope is one of our best-loved poets.
66 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2018
11 people are currently reading
625 people want to read
About the author
Wendy Cope
63 books416 followersWendy Cope was educated at Farringtons School, Chislehurst, London and then, after finishing university at St Hilda's College, Oxford, she worked for 15 years as a primary school teacher in London.
In 1981, she became Arts and Reviews editor for the Inner London Education Authority magazine, 'Contact'. Five years later she became a freelance writer and was a television critic for 'The Spectator magazine' until 1990.
Her first published work 'Across the City' was in a limited edition, published by the Priapus Press in 1980 and her first commercial book of poetry was 'Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis' in 1986. Since then she has published two further books of poetry and has edited various anthologies of comic verse.
In 1987 she received a Cholmondeley Award for poetry and in 1995 the American Academy of Arts and Letters Michael Braude Award for light verse. In 2007 she was one of the judges for the Man Booker Prize.
In 1998 she was the BBC Radio 4 listeners' choice to succeed Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate and when Andrew Motion's term of office ended in 2009 she was once again considered as a replacement.
She was awarded the OBE in the Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours List.
Gerry Wolstenholme
February 2011
In 1981, she became Arts and Reviews editor for the Inner London Education Authority magazine, 'Contact'. Five years later she became a freelance writer and was a television critic for 'The Spectator magazine' until 1990.
Her first published work 'Across the City' was in a limited edition, published by the Priapus Press in 1980 and her first commercial book of poetry was 'Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis' in 1986. Since then she has published two further books of poetry and has edited various anthologies of comic verse.
In 1987 she received a Cholmondeley Award for poetry and in 1995 the American Academy of Arts and Letters Michael Braude Award for light verse. In 2007 she was one of the judges for the Man Booker Prize.
In 1998 she was the BBC Radio 4 listeners' choice to succeed Ted Hughes as Poet Laureate and when Andrew Motion's term of office ended in 2009 she was once again considered as a replacement.
She was awarded the OBE in the Queen's 2010 Birthday Honours List.
Gerry Wolstenholme
February 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews
April 24, 2018
Half the time I suspect I borrow slim volumes of poetry from the library because they weigh the least to carry about as a bag book... but the chunk of time I spent sitting in a station car park with this Wendy Cope certainly ranks as some of the most enjoyable minutes I've had recently. I don't think this is 'easy' poetry - there are no barriers erected, but if you want the best view, some effort is repaid. Above all, it is 'useful' poetry... the sort you want to tell others about and use yourself to express a perspective.
May 31, 2018
(2.5) “What’s the use of poetry? You ask. Well, here’s a start: / It’s anecdotal evidence / About the human heart.” Cope writes of childhood memories and being in her seventies. Quite a number of these poems are tributes to the dead. The nine Shakespeare-inspired sonnets at the center of the book are among the better ones. My overall favorite poem was “Here We Are,” about watching the world go by with your partner and being grateful for what you have: “We could be anywhere / but this is where we find ourselves, / happy to sit beside the river / and watch the trains go by.” However, too many of the poems are simplistic and slavishly rhyming, even when she has to resort to silliness to get a rhyme in (“Tourists spend money and make a place richer, / But, sad to recount, that is not the whole pitcher” and “I might stay healthy longer if I were a vegetarian, / But I’m not doing badly for a septuagenarian”).
February 28, 2019
Humorous poetry is the only acceptable poetry.
March 28, 2018
Wendy Cope’s first book – Making Cocoa for Kingsley Amis – was so witty, so ingenious, so perfectly funny, everything she wrote afterwards falls in its shadow.
There are worse fates. I still buy every book she writes.
Anecdotal Evidence is a bit nostalgic for my taste, too many fond remembrances, limpid love lyrics and well-scanned sighs. There’s also her famous sparkle of invention, frolics in poetic form: sonnets tipped at Shakespeare, a haiku and a naga-uta, an homage to George Herbert, a libretto for W. S. Gilbert; although nothing as superb as her limericks on The Waste Land. Her poem on the Primate of All England made me laugh out loud. It begins
There are worse fates. I still buy every book she writes.
Anecdotal Evidence is a bit nostalgic for my taste, too many fond remembrances, limpid love lyrics and well-scanned sighs. There’s also her famous sparkle of invention, frolics in poetic form: sonnets tipped at Shakespeare, a haiku and a naga-uta, an homage to George Herbert, a libretto for W. S. Gilbert; although nothing as superb as her limericks on The Waste Land. Her poem on the Primate of All England made me laugh out loud. It begins
You see an archbishop out jogging in shorts.and ends
You know it’s unfair to have negative thoughts.
Of course, things are tough for archbishops today-
Nasty photographers snapping away.
It’s nasty of me to write this. I confess it.
I don’t think I’m sorry enough to suppress it.
October 6, 2019
Hm... A collection of poems about, well, 'this and that'. It's mostly very traditional, with a whiff of greeting card at times. Cope deals with a range of familiar topics: ageing, memory, and marriage amongst others. Her poetry has been described as "accessible" and I think that's a very apt description.
December 23, 2019
This collection is exactly what it claims to be: an anecdotal walk through of life. I'm not talking about births, deaths, life experiences. Not really. It's more about some of the thought processes and worries that we do, as humans, inherently carry in ourselves. Who hasn't considered the length of time they've lived, how far into their lives they might be, what proportion of that life was spent happy, in love, married or in a particular job? It's uncomfortable to read, sometimes. But it's so incredibly human and close to the bone that I couldn't let it go from my mind. God knows I've spent countless hours thinking any number of the concepts, worries or passing anecdotes that Wendy Cope does in the pages of this book.
I appreciate, and admire really, the honesty in this book because of those things; I'm not sure I've seen a poetry collection tackle some of the random but definitely poignant considerations of life. I also really like that the poems are a good blend of authentic style and modern presentation - I think it actually works very well for capturing the passing of time.
I didn't like so much that the novel took a very swift dive; the poems become very sombre, sobering and ultimately lose their hope towards the end, presumably as she begins to discuss funerals, the passing of each year bringing us closer to our demise or further away from our youth at the very least and the loss of important people from our lives. The tone just suddenly took quite a distinct turn for the worst, which isn't the ideal way to end a poetry collection in my view.
Nevertheless, this is unarguably a clever portrayal of the fleeting thoughts humans have, perhaps the only species that does, when faced with the recognition of their own existence.
I appreciate, and admire really, the honesty in this book because of those things; I'm not sure I've seen a poetry collection tackle some of the random but definitely poignant considerations of life. I also really like that the poems are a good blend of authentic style and modern presentation - I think it actually works very well for capturing the passing of time.
I didn't like so much that the novel took a very swift dive; the poems become very sombre, sobering and ultimately lose their hope towards the end, presumably as she begins to discuss funerals, the passing of each year bringing us closer to our demise or further away from our youth at the very least and the loss of important people from our lives. The tone just suddenly took quite a distinct turn for the worst, which isn't the ideal way to end a poetry collection in my view.
Nevertheless, this is unarguably a clever portrayal of the fleeting thoughts humans have, perhaps the only species that does, when faced with the recognition of their own existence.
December 24, 2020
'If you want to stay alive,
Sit and read a book.
It will help you to survive.
If you want to stay alive,
Eat broccoli and you may thrive
But here’s the good news – look:
If you want to stay alive,
Sit and read a book.'
My only favourite from this collection.
Because I was able to connect with it.
Otherwise the other so called poems were something from a far away place that I was not being able to connect with.
Basically this collection is about the author's life - her early marriage, her marital life and nothing much else, yes. Nothing much else.
Not one of my favorites.
Sit and read a book.
It will help you to survive.
If you want to stay alive,
Eat broccoli and you may thrive
But here’s the good news – look:
If you want to stay alive,
Sit and read a book.'
My only favourite from this collection.
Because I was able to connect with it.
Otherwise the other so called poems were something from a far away place that I was not being able to connect with.
Basically this collection is about the author's life - her early marriage, her marital life and nothing much else, yes. Nothing much else.
Not one of my favorites.
March 28, 2021
not me smiling whilst reading these eulogy poems???? Wendy Cope will become a new frequent
April 3, 2022
wendy cope poems always make me feel warm
April 1, 2024
3.5; Inhaled in one sitting. I found that Cope had a really vibrant and cute way of weaving her spirit into her little anecdotal poems. The collection comprises of personal musings, lots of odes, tributes and elegies, and poems about old age that possessed an interestingly youthful/almost child-like tone.
I randomly picked this book up from a charity shop, having only heard the name “Wendy Cope” before. I really enjoyed her lightness though, and I think I’ll be circling back to her to inhale some more of her collections.
An excerpt from the poem ‘Orb’:
“We know so little of ourselves,
and of each other – the working parts
we carry everywhere,
the darkness we scan
like astronomers, seeking
the half-forgotten stories of our lives.”
I randomly picked this book up from a charity shop, having only heard the name “Wendy Cope” before. I really enjoyed her lightness though, and I think I’ll be circling back to her to inhale some more of her collections.
An excerpt from the poem ‘Orb’:
“We know so little of ourselves,
and of each other – the working parts
we carry everywhere,
the darkness we scan
like astronomers, seeking
the half-forgotten stories of our lives.”
July 9, 2024
another 5 ⭐️ from library del Lorna
adored this collection- wendy cope just gets it💖
my faves for personal future reference:
a vow
One day
On sonnet 22
At 70
Que Sera
men talking
favourite quote (literally the first poem):
Centuries of English verse
Suggest the selfsame thing:
A negative response is rare
When birds are heard to sing
What’s the use of poetry?
You ask. Well, here’s a start:
It’s anecdotal evidence
About the human heart.
adored this collection- wendy cope just gets it💖
my faves for personal future reference:
a vow
One day
On sonnet 22
At 70
Que Sera
men talking
favourite quote (literally the first poem):
Centuries of English verse
Suggest the selfsame thing:
A negative response is rare
When birds are heard to sing
What’s the use of poetry?
You ask. Well, here’s a start:
It’s anecdotal evidence
About the human heart.
March 28, 2021
3.5/5; tender and dreamy! the shakespearean references were particularly lovely.
"every ditch or stream or river the train crosses.
every ploughed field, every row of trees.
every square church tower in the distance.
every minute of sunshine, every shadow.
every wisp of cloud in the wide, blue, east anglian sky.
every day. every day that’s left."
"every ditch or stream or river the train crosses.
every ploughed field, every row of trees.
every square church tower in the distance.
every minute of sunshine, every shadow.
every wisp of cloud in the wide, blue, east anglian sky.
every day. every day that’s left."
September 20, 2024
Wendy Cope you will always be a religious experience for me.
“By the River
The day is so still
you can almost hear the heat.
You can almost hear
that royal blue dragonfly
landing on the old white boat.”
“By the River
The day is so still
you can almost hear the heat.
You can almost hear
that royal blue dragonfly
landing on the old white boat.”
December 31, 2021
ms cope is a girlboss 💅
April 18, 2021
pe tren
December 27, 2023
could have been a zine written for people just like her and her friends. a lot of it was so personal and situational. some poems were nice enough but nothing left a lasting impression on my heart as i hoped it would.
September 17, 2025
I love you wendy (I have your work tattooed on my body), this one just wasn’t for me
May 6, 2024
Some absolutely top tier poems in here - exactly what I needed at exactly the right moment.
August 13, 2021
"We could be anywhere
but this is where we find ourselves
happy to sit beside the river
and watch the trains go by"
Soy nueva en esto de leer poesía, pero realmente me gustó, los poemas me parecieron muy accesibles aunque teniendo en cuenta que la autora escribió esto cuando tenía 70 y yo solo tengo 19, en realidad no me identifiqué tanto, sin embargo me gustaron, y la gran mayoría me hizo sentir cosas. Me gustó el tono nostálgico de la colección y me dejó con un buen sabor de boca y sin duda ganas de leer más de la autora.
Mis favoritos fueron Evidence, Here we are, Every, A little tribute to John Cage y Health Advice
but this is where we find ourselves
happy to sit beside the river
and watch the trains go by"
Soy nueva en esto de leer poesía, pero realmente me gustó, los poemas me parecieron muy accesibles aunque teniendo en cuenta que la autora escribió esto cuando tenía 70 y yo solo tengo 19, en realidad no me identifiqué tanto, sin embargo me gustaron, y la gran mayoría me hizo sentir cosas. Me gustó el tono nostálgico de la colección y me dejó con un buen sabor de boca y sin duda ganas de leer más de la autora.
Mis favoritos fueron Evidence, Here we are, Every, A little tribute to John Cage y Health Advice
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 15, 2024
I don’t usually read poetry but I liked a lot of these poems! Wendy Cope has a wonderful voice and way of seeing the everyday mundane joys in life. So much feeling - of wonder, loss, humor, nostalgia, love - are conveyed in these mostly short poems. I liked the poems at the beginning - they were more personal poems and gave a glimpse into her life. I didn’t like the Shakespeare or Christmas poems. My favorites were Orb, Bags, Absent Friends, Naga-Uta, and On Sonnet 22.
April 2, 2021
give it up for day 2 of crying to wendy cope poems at 10am
- "It was fun, some of the time,
while it lasted. You could say that,
I suppose, about most years,
about most lives."
- "It was fun, some of the time,
while it lasted. You could say that,
I suppose, about most years,
about most lives."
June 7, 2025
You wouldn't believe it if I told you that one of the best books about mortality and remembrance is also one of the best books you can read that's about Christmas, unless you've read this one.
March 10, 2019
The halting
Words
Brought to mind Paterson's
Poems in the movie
Paterson .
Those poems saw
the inside of a dog, these poems
Saw the light
Of the day. Who's to say
Which is the greater fortune.
I better take
My laptop to the repair
Shop. The Spacebar's acting
Like it got a mind
Of its own at the
Discount Store.
Death's never far from Wendy Cope's mind. She wants you to use impending death as an excuse to embrace every waking moment. That sounds so tiresome. Thinking about death all the time is no way to live. Just ask a dog.
But then she's 73 and at that age you'd assume it's normal to be constantly thinking about death. So I'm going to defend myself by using her own words against her.
“It’s nasty of me to write this. I confess it.
I don’t think I’m sorry enough to suppress it.”
Excerpt from “On a Photograph of the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
Two poems that stood out for me: Absent Friends and Calculations.
Words
Brought to mind Paterson's
Poems in the movie
Paterson .
Those poems saw
the inside of a dog, these poems
Saw the light
Of the day. Who's to say
Which is the greater fortune.
I better take
My laptop to the repair
Shop. The Spacebar's acting
Like it got a mind
Of its own at the
Discount Store.
Death's never far from Wendy Cope's mind. She wants you to use impending death as an excuse to embrace every waking moment. That sounds so tiresome. Thinking about death all the time is no way to live. Just ask a dog.
But then she's 73 and at that age you'd assume it's normal to be constantly thinking about death. So I'm going to defend myself by using her own words against her.
“It’s nasty of me to write this. I confess it.
I don’t think I’m sorry enough to suppress it.”
Excerpt from “On a Photograph of the Archbishop of Canterbury.”
Two poems that stood out for me: Absent Friends and Calculations.
August 5, 2023
I have a little bit of a soft spot for Wendy Cope, now. She has repeatedly shown me a world of peace, holiday melancholia, and a beautiful nostalgia and wistfulness for life.
And this collection, more pensive than collections past, highlights those qualities most beautifully and poignantly. From Shakespeare to old friends to family and loved ones, Cope reminds us to take joy in the mundane, because even that will one day be significant.
And this collection, more pensive than collections past, highlights those qualities most beautifully and poignantly. From Shakespeare to old friends to family and loved ones, Cope reminds us to take joy in the mundane, because even that will one day be significant.
August 23, 2025
Perhaps classic Cope: she doesn't like her mother, Christianity can be beautiful but is also weird and oppressive, her husband is going to die and there's no after life for comfort, aging is sad, good writers like Shakespeare are good but most people who take up/teach/do literature don't get the point, poetry is a big deal, Christmas. So, I felt like I was reading Cope, and I liked the rhymes - but this, as a collection, wasn't as enjoyable or complete-feeling (or memorable?) as a whole than Family Values was!
January 9, 2022
One star for the first and titular poem in this collection, at least it was witty and refreshing. The rest not so much, but rather a lot of banal nostalgia, which I certainly was not in the mood for. And the rhymes, oh the rhymes, they got on my nerves, decent poetry doesn't need rhymes to be good.
May 17, 2021
Since Wendy Cope was in her seventies when she wrote this book, a lot of the poems carry the air of s life ending soon. As a first year college student, I could not relate. However, they were still harrowing and her melancholic retrospective definitely made me look harder at my life and appreciate it more.
January 15, 2025
a beautifully crafted collection of poems that delicately explores the passing of time with a really unique warmth, and poignant reflection. the small, tender moments of life in each poem feel like a glimpse into the shared human experience.
loved it ❤️
loved it ❤️
July 5, 2022
well, that was wholly unremarkable.
February 28, 2023
2.5
Anecdotal Evidence? More like, Funerals and Shakespeare.
Anecdotal Evidence? More like, Funerals and Shakespeare.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 164 reviews