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All the Poems of Muriel Spark
In the seventy-three poems collected here, Muriel Spark works in open forms as well as villanelles, rondels, epigrams, and even the tour de force of a twenty-one page ballad. She also shows herself a master of unforgettable short poems. Before attaining fame as a novelist (Memento Mori, The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie), Muriel Spark was already an acclaimed poet. The "power and control" of her poetry, as Publishers Weekly remarked, "is almost startling." With the vitality and wit typical of all her work, Dame Muriel never stopped writing poems, which frequently appeared in The New Yorker. As with all her creations, the poems show Spark to be "astonishingly talented and truly inimitable" (The San Francisco Chronicle).
144 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1967
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112 people want to read
About the author
Muriel Spark
222 books1,289 followersDame Muriel Spark, DBE was a prolific Scottish novelist, short story writer and poet whose darkly comedic voice made her one of the most distinctive writers of the twentieth century. In 2008 The Times newspaper named Spark in its list of "the 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Spark received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1965 for The Mandelbaum Gate, the Ingersoll Foundation TS Eliot Award in 1992 and the David Cohen Prize in 1997. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, in recognition of her services to literature. She has been twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize, in 1969 for The Public Image and in 1981 for Loitering with Intent. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden PEN Award by English PEN for "a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature". In 2010, Spark was shortlisted for the Lost Man Booker Prize of 1970 for The Driver's Seat.
Spark received eight honorary doctorates in her lifetime. These included a Doctor of the University degree (Honoris causa) from her alma mater, Heriot-Watt University in 1995; a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris causa) from the American University of Paris in 2005; and Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, St Andrews and Strathclyde.
Spark grew up in Edinburgh and worked as a department store secretary, writer for trade magazines, and literary editor before publishing her first novel, The Comforters, in 1957. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, published in 1961, and considered her masterpiece, was made into a stage play, a TV series, and a film.
Spark received the James Tait Black Memorial Prize in 1965 for The Mandelbaum Gate, the Ingersoll Foundation TS Eliot Award in 1992 and the David Cohen Prize in 1997. She became Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1993, in recognition of her services to literature. She has been twice shortlisted for the Booker Prize, in 1969 for The Public Image and in 1981 for Loitering with Intent. In 1998, she was awarded the Golden PEN Award by English PEN for "a Lifetime's Distinguished Service to Literature". In 2010, Spark was shortlisted for the Lost Man Booker Prize of 1970 for The Driver's Seat.
Spark received eight honorary doctorates in her lifetime. These included a Doctor of the University degree (Honoris causa) from her alma mater, Heriot-Watt University in 1995; a Doctor of Humane Letters (Honoris causa) from the American University of Paris in 2005; and Honorary Doctor of Letters degrees from the Universities of Aberdeen, Edinburgh, London, Oxford, St Andrews and Strathclyde.
Spark grew up in Edinburgh and worked as a department store secretary, writer for trade magazines, and literary editor before publishing her first novel, The Comforters, in 1957. The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie, published in 1961, and considered her masterpiece, was made into a stage play, a TV series, and a film.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
November 22, 2019
Mixed feelings about these poems. But hats off to Spark for this one, which I really liked.
I now can't stop thinking about hats, and might have to buy one for myself.
Maybe a Kepi, or a sailors hat, if I decide to go to a New Year's Eve fancy dress party.
HATS
I was writing a poem called hats.
I has seen a shop window
in Venice, full of
hats.
There were hats for morning,
for evening, men's hats, girls'
Hats.
There were hats for fishing
And hats dating back to
Death in Venice.
His hat so panama, hers such a
Madame de Staël
Hat.
I was writing a poem about
Hats
Hats for a garden party, hats
For a wet day, hats for a
wedding party, a
memorial service.
There were hats for golf and
Hats for tennis. Bowler hats
Top hats for the races, floral
headgear equally.
As I wrote this poem
Sitting in a square with my coffee,
I was called over by a friend.
Only for an instant. I shoved
The poem in my handbag and
I slung the bag over the chair.
Only an instant.
And gone, gone forever, handbag
poem, my hats, my hats.
Also my passport.
What was in the bag? Said
the policeman.
Some money, a passport
and a poem.
Howe did it go that poem?
I wish I could remember.
I now can't stop thinking about hats, and might have to buy one for myself.
Maybe a Kepi, or a sailors hat, if I decide to go to a New Year's Eve fancy dress party.
HATS
I was writing a poem called hats.
I has seen a shop window
in Venice, full of
hats.
There were hats for morning,
for evening, men's hats, girls'
Hats.
There were hats for fishing
And hats dating back to
Death in Venice.
His hat so panama, hers such a
Madame de Staël
Hat.
I was writing a poem about
Hats
Hats for a garden party, hats
For a wet day, hats for a
wedding party, a
memorial service.
There were hats for golf and
Hats for tennis. Bowler hats
Top hats for the races, floral
headgear equally.
As I wrote this poem
Sitting in a square with my coffee,
I was called over by a friend.
Only for an instant. I shoved
The poem in my handbag and
I slung the bag over the chair.
Only an instant.
And gone, gone forever, handbag
poem, my hats, my hats.
Also my passport.
What was in the bag? Said
the policeman.
Some money, a passport
and a poem.
Howe did it go that poem?
I wish I could remember.
February 22, 2018
I have read a lot of Spark's fiction, but none of her poetry; it seemed obvious, therefore, to pick up a copy of her Complete Poems and read it during the month of her centenary. The poems here are not chronologically ordered, which annoyed me a little; I like to see how poets evolve over time, particularly over the decades in which Spark wrote. The content here is quite varied; Spark writes extensively about writing and London, which I was expecting, but other poems deal with catching bad colds, and leaning over old walls, which I perhaps was not.
Spark's poems are witty and clever, but the collection did not feel like a coherent one to me. Perhaps this is because of the lack of chronological ordering; had it been structured in this way, and one could see the progression of Spark's poetic voice and the continuation of themes, it would have worked better. Sadly, some of the poems here were a little silly and juvenile for my particular taste, and I was largely indifferent to the collection as a whole; very few of these poems really stood out.
Spark's poems are witty and clever, but the collection did not feel like a coherent one to me. Perhaps this is because of the lack of chronological ordering; had it been structured in this way, and one could see the progression of Spark's poetic voice and the continuation of themes, it would have worked better. Sadly, some of the poems here were a little silly and juvenile for my particular taste, and I was largely indifferent to the collection as a whole; very few of these poems really stood out.
March 12, 2020
I’ve had this on my shelf for years. I took the photograph that appears on the front cover and so I have a few copies of it still. As my workday morning routine involves reading poetry I thought it was time to give it a read.
Here are my highlighted poems:
- The creative writing class
- Authors’ ghosts
- Going up to Sotheby’s
- Letters
- Fruitless fable
- Anger in the works
- The Rout
- Created and Abandoned
It’s a good feeling to have read it after such a long rest on my shelves!
Here are my highlighted poems:
- The creative writing class
- Authors’ ghosts
- Going up to Sotheby’s
- Letters
- Fruitless fable
- Anger in the works
- The Rout
- Created and Abandoned
It’s a good feeling to have read it after such a long rest on my shelves!
December 8, 2022
3.5
A good and entertaining companion piece to her prose, but pretty hit and miss as a poetry collection in its own right. I enjoyed it, but I'd hesitate to gift the book to a poetry lover.
A good and entertaining companion piece to her prose, but pretty hit and miss as a poetry collection in its own right. I enjoyed it, but I'd hesitate to gift the book to a poetry lover.
August 23, 2019
It's what's for dinner when you can't function properly....
May 17, 2024
In 2019 I reviewed Mary Oliver's "A Poetry Handbook" where I said: Over the years I have acquired a few books of poetry, mainly by my favourite writers. However, in the main I have struggled with the modern poets: Larkin, Pinter even Muriel Spark. Although the last of these is better known as a novelist she says "I have always thought of myself as a poet".
I started on her book of "Complete Poems" a while ago and gave up. But a couple of weeks ago I found it languishing on a shelf and picked it up. I started where I had left off, halfway through, and read two poems a day. That worked quite well as I could concentrate on those which I liked. Here are the eleven I picked from the 79 poems in the book.
Going up to Sotheby's
I guess this is free verse, but for once it's completely fine. A tiny story about an old manuscript.
Complaint in Wash-Out Season
All that rain in April is given a dressing down. "Call off this protracted intransigent deluge, it's hackneyed".
Fruitless Fable
A simple rhyming poem about a tea machine!
The Empty Space
Free verse but wonderful. A picture has been removed. By whom? It was a scene in Rome.
Hats
Short but sweet. "I was writing a poem about hats. Hats fro a garden party, hats for a wet day, hats for a wedding party, a memorial service" and so on.
While flicking over the pages
A strange title that refers to looking through "Who's who". Finding an educated man, a celebrated first novel, but reduced to being just a critic.
Victoria Falls
Another short poem, but I liked the description of how the quiet Zambezi river gradually becomes violently loud.
Conversation piece
What it would be like to leave all your problems and just have a brand new set. Interesting free verse.
The Card Party
A simple rhyming poem with a twist.
Evelyn Cavallo
A character from a book, some words on a grave:" this person never came to pass .....".
Bluebell among the Sables
"No need for alarm - those dead pelts can't cause Bluebell (the cat) any harm".
I started on her book of "Complete Poems" a while ago and gave up. But a couple of weeks ago I found it languishing on a shelf and picked it up. I started where I had left off, halfway through, and read two poems a day. That worked quite well as I could concentrate on those which I liked. Here are the eleven I picked from the 79 poems in the book.
Going up to Sotheby's
I guess this is free verse, but for once it's completely fine. A tiny story about an old manuscript.
Complaint in Wash-Out Season
All that rain in April is given a dressing down. "Call off this protracted intransigent deluge, it's hackneyed".
Fruitless Fable
A simple rhyming poem about a tea machine!
The Empty Space
Free verse but wonderful. A picture has been removed. By whom? It was a scene in Rome.
Hats
Short but sweet. "I was writing a poem about hats. Hats fro a garden party, hats for a wet day, hats for a wedding party, a memorial service" and so on.
While flicking over the pages
A strange title that refers to looking through "Who's who". Finding an educated man, a celebrated first novel, but reduced to being just a critic.
Victoria Falls
Another short poem, but I liked the description of how the quiet Zambezi river gradually becomes violently loud.
Conversation piece
What it would be like to leave all your problems and just have a brand new set. Interesting free verse.
The Card Party
A simple rhyming poem with a twist.
Evelyn Cavallo
A character from a book, some words on a grave:" this person never came to pass .....".
Bluebell among the Sables
"No need for alarm - those dead pelts can't cause Bluebell (the cat) any harm".
September 24, 2021
I could have finished this book in a single night, but it music was eager to be reveled in with slow re-reads of certain lines, words, or even entire poems immediately after reading them. It was difficult for me to find a copy of these poems, and the wait made their discovery much more ecstatic. Muriel Spark had the music in her poetry.
September 11, 2021
DNF at 30%. Not the poetry for me, much prefer her stories.
May 4, 2025
The Dame is GOATED and her verse is excellent, actually!
Read
October 21, 2025decent enough to finish, too insignificant to recommend
July 17, 2018
Complete Poems by Muriel Spark - mixed
I've always been a bit old fashioned about poetry. I like the old ones where things rhyme and have meter. Some of these do, some don't. I'm also not wired for subtext and deep thinking about anything, let alone poetry, so I didn't understand all of these. In fact it wasn't until I started reading Martin Stannard's biography of Muriel Spark that I realised some of the underlying meanings eg The Victoria Falls and how it relates to the break up of her marriage whilst in Africa.
Anyway, the ones I liked were:
Edinburgh Villanelle (c1950)
The Creative Writing Class (c2003)
Author's Ghosts (c2003)
Going up to Sotherby's (c1982)
The Grave that Time Dug (c1951)
That Lonely Shoe Lying on the Road (c1993)
Elementary (c1951)
Chrysalis (c1951)
Elegy in a Kensington Churchyard (c1949)
The Three Kings (c1953)
Nothing to Do (c2004)
I've just added in the years these were written to try and prove a theory that it is her older work I prefer, but it seems there's a good spread.
Anyway I particularly liked these lines in Elementary:
The cat subsiding down a basement
Leaves a catlessness behind it.
It perfectly describes the void left when a cat leaves the room (and the poem is about voids, so...) and is a couplet I'll remember for some time.
A couple of years ago I decided I needed to read more poetry and have been doing so by reading a couple of poems a day. This is the fourth volume I've read and has been the most challenging but I'm glad I've read them, will keep the book and read them again sometime. Maybe next time I'll gain more insight.
I've always been a bit old fashioned about poetry. I like the old ones where things rhyme and have meter. Some of these do, some don't. I'm also not wired for subtext and deep thinking about anything, let alone poetry, so I didn't understand all of these. In fact it wasn't until I started reading Martin Stannard's biography of Muriel Spark that I realised some of the underlying meanings eg The Victoria Falls and how it relates to the break up of her marriage whilst in Africa.
Anyway, the ones I liked were:
Edinburgh Villanelle (c1950)
The Creative Writing Class (c2003)
Author's Ghosts (c2003)
Going up to Sotherby's (c1982)
The Grave that Time Dug (c1951)
That Lonely Shoe Lying on the Road (c1993)
Elementary (c1951)
Chrysalis (c1951)
Elegy in a Kensington Churchyard (c1949)
The Three Kings (c1953)
Nothing to Do (c2004)
I've just added in the years these were written to try and prove a theory that it is her older work I prefer, but it seems there's a good spread.
Anyway I particularly liked these lines in Elementary:
The cat subsiding down a basement
Leaves a catlessness behind it.
It perfectly describes the void left when a cat leaves the room (and the poem is about voids, so...) and is a couplet I'll remember for some time.
A couple of years ago I decided I needed to read more poetry and have been doing so by reading a couple of poems a day. This is the fourth volume I've read and has been the most challenging but I'm glad I've read them, will keep the book and read them again sometime. Maybe next time I'll gain more insight.
January 25, 2016
Muriel Spark is perhaps best known for her fiction, but she was also a very good poet, but apparently only published poems of hers that she could absolutely stand by and be proud of. This collection of poems is wonderful and very varied both in style and tone. The poems are actually organised by theme rather than in the chronological order of their creation. All in all I recommend this collection as I thoroughly enjoyed it, and was very impressed by her superior skills of diction and rhythm.
December 27, 2021
Muriel spark is a witty, intuitive poet. Though I didn’t connect with every poem (which is surely the subjective beauty of poetry), what I love about Spark is this: she SEES, she doesn’t just look, she really sees the world around her.
My favourite poems are the ones about writing, how books change over time and how forgotten characters may be waiting in the shadows for us to remember and return to them.
My favourite poems are the ones about writing, how books change over time and how forgotten characters may be waiting in the shadows for us to remember and return to them.
December 29, 2022
As a long time fan of Muriel Spark's prose, I had been unaware of her poetic output until relatively recently. I enjoyed many of the poems in this collection. Not so much the longer ballad types, rather the shorter, pithy ones which most closely resembled (for me, at least) her authorial voice in her fiction.
May 6, 2016
Complete poems contains a range of poetic work from Muriel Spark, from early translations of Horace and Catullus to humourous and strange later poems. As I only knew her novels I really enjoyed coming across this book and discovering another side of the talented Muriel Spark.
October 2, 2009
Here's my review.
April 1, 2018
The first of my holiday books!
Spark reminded me at first a bit like a slightly more reflective Pam Ayres in her comedic style. I enjoyed delving into her weird and wonderful dreamworlds and their own sense of logic.
Through my own lack of dictionary, or lack of biblical stories knowledge, I found a lot of the poems hard going and difficult to get my head around. Muriel Spark seems to love Latin and translation or taking stories from Latin and folklore, and so some of the meanings behind the poems were lost on me unfortunately.
Spark reminded me at first a bit like a slightly more reflective Pam Ayres in her comedic style. I enjoyed delving into her weird and wonderful dreamworlds and their own sense of logic.
Through my own lack of dictionary, or lack of biblical stories knowledge, I found a lot of the poems hard going and difficult to get my head around. Muriel Spark seems to love Latin and translation or taking stories from Latin and folklore, and so some of the meanings behind the poems were lost on me unfortunately.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews