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On Seamus Heaney
A vivid and original account of one of Ireland's greatest poets by an acclaimed Irish historian and literary biographer
The most important Irish poet of the postwar era, Seamus Heaney rose to prominence as his native Northern Ireland descended into sectarian violence. A national figure at a time when nationality was deeply contested, Heaney also won international acclaim, culminating in the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. In On Seamus Heaney, leading Irish historian and literary critic R. F. Foster gives an incisive and eloquent account of the poet and his work against the background of a changing Ireland.
Drawing on unpublished drafts and correspondence, Foster provides illuminating and personal interpretations of Heaney's work. Though a deeply charismatic figure, Heaney refused to don the mantle of public spokesperson, and Foster identifies a deliberate evasiveness and creative ambiguity in his poetry. In this, and in Heaney's evocation of a disappearing rural Ireland haunted by political violence, Foster finds parallels with the other towering figure of Irish poetry, W. B. Yeats. Foster also discusses Heaney's cosmopolitanism, his support for dissident poets abroad, and his increasing focus in his later work on death and spiritual transcendence. Above all, Foster examines how Heaney created an extraordinary connection with an exceptionally wide readership, giving him an authority and power unique among contemporary writers.
Combining a vivid account of Heaney's life and a compelling reading of his entire oeuvre, On Seamus Heaney extends our understanding of the man as it enriches our appreciation of his poetry.
The most important Irish poet of the postwar era, Seamus Heaney rose to prominence as his native Northern Ireland descended into sectarian violence. A national figure at a time when nationality was deeply contested, Heaney also won international acclaim, culminating in the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. In On Seamus Heaney, leading Irish historian and literary critic R. F. Foster gives an incisive and eloquent account of the poet and his work against the background of a changing Ireland.
Drawing on unpublished drafts and correspondence, Foster provides illuminating and personal interpretations of Heaney's work. Though a deeply charismatic figure, Heaney refused to don the mantle of public spokesperson, and Foster identifies a deliberate evasiveness and creative ambiguity in his poetry. In this, and in Heaney's evocation of a disappearing rural Ireland haunted by political violence, Foster finds parallels with the other towering figure of Irish poetry, W. B. Yeats. Foster also discusses Heaney's cosmopolitanism, his support for dissident poets abroad, and his increasing focus in his later work on death and spiritual transcendence. Above all, Foster examines how Heaney created an extraordinary connection with an exceptionally wide readership, giving him an authority and power unique among contemporary writers.
Combining a vivid account of Heaney's life and a compelling reading of his entire oeuvre, On Seamus Heaney extends our understanding of the man as it enriches our appreciation of his poetry.
248 pages, Hardcover
Published August 25, 2020
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
June 28, 2021
A nice little critical overview of Seamus Heaney's work. It's a warm, appreciative overview of his work. It's not at the level of 'Stepping Stones' but it's not really aiming to be. It's just a short critical study that will send most readers back to the source!
September 17, 2022
A superb study.
September 6, 2024
very much did justice to my favourite poet <3
August 25, 2024
Phenomenal account of Seamus Heaney's life and works. Wonderful!!
September 6, 2020
Binged it in 4 glorious hours of ignoring all else I “had to” do. It’s short but it’s very certainly one I will re read. Sharp, closely observed and full of insights.
December 13, 2022
Foster is a good fit to write a book about Seamus Heaney. He is a distinguished professor of modern Irish history. His many books include a well-received biography of Yeats.
This is not primarily a book of literary criticism. It is an attempt to explore the connections between Heaney and the world he lived in. He grew up in the rural country, in Northern Ireland, as a Catholic, during the worst of the troubles from 1969 on. All of those things were major influences. The love of rural words, images and metaphors are a central part of his skill. The Northern Ireland literary scene formed him. He could never escape being seen as a Catholic no matter how far he traveled from it. The violence, politics, and contradictions of the Irish struggles haunted his poetry.
Foster is brilliant at showing Heaney, at the same time, struggling to not be simply defined as an Irish Catholic poet from Northern Ireland. Foster outlines the tightrope Heaney walked to avoid simply being a spokesperson or a prophet. He always insisted that he was a poet first. He moved to the South to get out of the overwhelming war zone atmosphere. He had frequent teaching and lecturing stints abroad, particularly in America. His poetry was about much more than his religious or national identity.
Heaney eventually transcended Ireland, culminating in the Nobel Prize for Literature. Foster, who knows the scene well, outlines the jealousy and resentment of Irishmen who begrudged his success, as we tend to do. He was accused of compromising, selling out, or forgetting where he came from. Foster gives the sense that the accusations bothered Heaney but that he was strong enough to go on his own path.
Foster does have some interesting commentary on the poems and there is a healthy selection of excerpts throughout the book. This is a first-rate introduction to the best Irish poet since Yeats.
This is not primarily a book of literary criticism. It is an attempt to explore the connections between Heaney and the world he lived in. He grew up in the rural country, in Northern Ireland, as a Catholic, during the worst of the troubles from 1969 on. All of those things were major influences. The love of rural words, images and metaphors are a central part of his skill. The Northern Ireland literary scene formed him. He could never escape being seen as a Catholic no matter how far he traveled from it. The violence, politics, and contradictions of the Irish struggles haunted his poetry.
Foster is brilliant at showing Heaney, at the same time, struggling to not be simply defined as an Irish Catholic poet from Northern Ireland. Foster outlines the tightrope Heaney walked to avoid simply being a spokesperson or a prophet. He always insisted that he was a poet first. He moved to the South to get out of the overwhelming war zone atmosphere. He had frequent teaching and lecturing stints abroad, particularly in America. His poetry was about much more than his religious or national identity.
Heaney eventually transcended Ireland, culminating in the Nobel Prize for Literature. Foster, who knows the scene well, outlines the jealousy and resentment of Irishmen who begrudged his success, as we tend to do. He was accused of compromising, selling out, or forgetting where he came from. Foster gives the sense that the accusations bothered Heaney but that he was strong enough to go on his own path.
Foster does have some interesting commentary on the poems and there is a healthy selection of excerpts throughout the book. This is a first-rate introduction to the best Irish poet since Yeats.
August 13, 2025
bit of a blank space. long block quotes, titbits which appeared in Stepping Stones, large helpings of Foster's score-settling when it comes to Field Day, Terry Eagleton, and whether or not an inveterately bigoted variant of Ulster Protestantism is what he regards as a fair hearing.
wild to see how recently literary culture could be so acrimonious, and that if you were seen to hedge your bets - as Heaney made an art of doing - colleagues and mentees would be writing multiple essays trying to cut you down. just as a consequence of the way writing that is very Certain does not age well, and his is very good, Heaney comes out of these disputes (which he more or less completely evaded) looking great.
wild to see how recently literary culture could be so acrimonious, and that if you were seen to hedge your bets - as Heaney made an art of doing - colleagues and mentees would be writing multiple essays trying to cut you down. just as a consequence of the way writing that is very Certain does not age well, and his is very good, Heaney comes out of these disputes (which he more or less completely evaded) looking great.
September 1, 2023
2.5 stars - I enjoyed the descriptions of Heaney’s life but found the analysis of his poetry a little too academic at times.
Also I read the Princeton paperback edition which is a small book with generous margins but smallish font. Not very pleasing to my eye.
Also I read the Princeton paperback edition which is a small book with generous margins but smallish font. Not very pleasing to my eye.
April 15, 2024
The cool thing about the biography of a poet is that the art can be included within the wider context with no loss of fidelity.
This was a bit too literary for my taste (big words).
What a guy.
Noli timere.
This was a bit too literary for my taste (big words).
What a guy.
Noli timere.
October 7, 2025
“The frisson of reading North in 1975 was unforgettable: a chill, and a recognition. The inheritance of Northern horrors had been approached by other poets, notably John Montague and Thomas Kinsella, in their different ways; but Heaney’s excavation of what he once referred to as ‘the tribal dirt’ was overwhelming. Readers thought, ‘So it can be written about, and this is how’.”
January 26, 2022
Well written appreciation of the poetry of Seamus Heaney
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 7, 2023
Brilliant
March 25, 2023
Noli timere—‘don’t be afraid’.
June 12, 2024
An in-depth view of the man's life. I just wish I wasn't looking up the meaning of a word every other page, but that is probably my own faultm
April 27, 2025
This book by Irish historian R.F. Foster is a great work about how and why Seamus Heaney became such an iconic Irish poet beloved by so many people around the world. It was a joy to read.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews