Selected Poems

by Carol Ann Duffy

Genres: Poetry, Fiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published September 1, 2004

About the author

Dame Carol Ann Duffy, DBE, FRSL is a Scottish poet and playwright. She is Professor of Contemporary Poetry at Manchester Metropolitan University, and was appointed Britain's Poet Laureate in May 2009.

She is the first woman, the first Scot, and the first openly LGBT person to hold this position.

Her collections include Standing Female Nude (1985), winner of a Scottish Arts Council Award; Selling Manhattan (1987), which won a Somerset Maugham Award; Mean Time (1993), which won the Whitbread Poetry Award; and Rapture (2005), winner of the T. S. Eliot Prize.

Her poems address issues such as oppression, gender, and violence, in an accessible language that has made them popular in schools.

Reviews

[Apgepps · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of these poem ends in „you don’t understand a word I’m saying, do you?“ and I think more of them could end with that line. But I still liked the collection and it definitely made me want to read more of her work.

The poems are confusing but powerful/impactful, and in a lot of them the meaning will just click into place at the end of a poem in a really satisfying way. It’s amazing how she manages to express things without actually saying them.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not a fan of all of these poems, my first taste of Duffys work. I did enjoy the ‘World’s Wife’ collection.

[Highlyeccentric · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was... an interesting tasting plate. I was surprised to find that I don't like all Duffy's work consistently: I particularly liked the poems from Selling Manhattan (1987) and Mean Time (1993), was uncomfortable with the ventriloquising of non-white perspectives in some of the selections from Standing Female Nude (1985), and actively bored by everything from The Other Country (1990). And the final selection confirmed what I already knew, that I am just not that impressed with The World's Wife despite all the reasons I *should* like it.

[Renarde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a beautiful poet. Favorite poems by her include "Talent", "Standing Female Nude", "The Dolphins", "Dies Natalis", "Model Village", "The Virgin Punishing the Infant", "Originally", "Small Female Skull", and "Mrs Midas".

Her poetry ranges from deep and romantic, to harsh and brutal, to just plain non-nonsensical. I didn't know that there could be a poet with such variety in her writing and such a beautiful, beautiful mind. This was exactly what I didn't know I was looking for.

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

A selection of poems from 1985-1997. This doesn't, consistently, have the polish of The World's Wife or the beauty of Rapture, but the first poems are from when Duffy was only thirty, and it has her characteristic wit, humour and sparkling command of language. Devastating and beautiful stand out was Shooting Stars.

[J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked the early poetry best. As with most poets, the later stuff lost some of the inventive fire and startling juxtapositions. Still, some very solid poetry, here.

[Ioan Prydderch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love this collection a lot.

[Stapelkampc · Rating 5 out of 5]

Duffy with a cup of tea, my favourite day in.

[Mahmoud Keshk · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm not sure if this is poetry at all. It's also dull and very banal.

[Viola · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are some really good poems in this collection. I didn't like it as much as The World's Wife but that is to be expected with a selected poems collection.

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of poems by this poet.
Recommended overview of highlights of her published work.

[S · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great collection of poems by a great poet

[Ruby-Jane · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love.

[J Grimsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

I find this a book which I want to read again. I'm not sure what more to say.