The State of Poetry

by Roger McGough

Roger McGough made his name in The Mersey Sound, published in 1967 and a bestseller ever since. Over the years, McGough has continued to delight readers with his short, playful and comic verses, and in The State of Poetry he displays the range and the wit that continues to make him one of the leading lights of British poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Fiction, Humor, British Literature

54 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

Reviews

[Zuberino · Rating 4 out of 5]

The wicked wit starts right away, with the one-line New Poem ("So far, so good") and carries on with varying degrees of wackiness right through to the end. The poem that really, really tickled me, out of this slim volume of sparklingly humorous verse, was the incongruously titled Au Coin de la Rue. Now THAT is a fucking cackler. I really do like Roger McG, much better than Wendy Cope.

[Alun · Rating 3 out of 5]

I always enjoy McGough's poems. This lightweight collection is enjoyable but lacking something - don't ask me what. Try it yourself.

I will re-read it, but what will I say if I like it less the next time? You will never know.

[Anissa Karimov · Rating 3 out of 5]

giggled

[Derin Savasan · Rating 4 out of 5]

We're led to believe time flies
But it's us that fly
Time sits on its hands
As we rush by

[Genna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book, just, wow. I laughed more often than I thought I would, there were lines and whole poems that made me stop and question something about life and to truly re-evaluate my way of thinking. Pretty much the entire collection connected to me in some way, it really was like these poems were written perfectly to suit my poetic tastes. In particular, 'The Proverbials' was a roller coaster of reactions and emotions, one line making me honestly laugh aloud, the next gasp in shock. I would suggest this to all poetry readers, and even more-so to non-poetry readers. Also, definitely the best Pocket Penguin published in 2005 to celebrate 70 years of Penguin Publishing that I have read yet. It's not often I stumble upon a new favourite book, but this one I know will follow me with my few others, and that truly means a lot to me.

[Coenraad · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a joy to be reminded about Roger McGough's wicked way with words, language and meanings intended and otherwise! Of the 78 poems and six pages of 'proverbials', my favourite (if I'm forced to choose) is ''The Dada Christmas Catalogue', which includes 'An overnight tea-bag' and 'Not a pipe' amongst many more. If I start quoting, I probably won't stop, so rather get your McGough off the shelf and start dipping into it. I'll be ready with a towel. (Sorry: had to. Bad, I know.)

Roger McGough sien woordspelings en verrassende (soms selfs skokkende) betekenisse in woorde en uitdrukkings wat 'n leser dikwels asemloos laat. Hierdie 78 gedigte en ses bladsye spreekwoordelikhede ('Prozac provides safety in numbness') herinner 'n mens aan die humoristiese aard van sy werk. 'n Leesvreugde!

[Cathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very short poems, usually on the funny side, often with word play. An example:

Worry

Where would we be without worry?
It helps keep the brain occupied.
Doing doesn't take your mind off things,
I'v tried.

Worry is God's gift to the nervous.
Best if kept bottled inside.
I once knew a man who couldn't care less.
He died.

[Iain Watson]

THE STATE OF POETRY (POCKET PENGUINS) by ROGER MCGOUGH (2005)

[Alix · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very quick, light hearted book of poems. All of them were pretty clever, but like any poetry collection, not all of them were completely to my taste. A few lines really made me think.

[Sarah Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Riot Challenge- poetry

[Al · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny.

[C.F. Kirkham-Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A mixed bag.

[Brian Wilson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Plenty of laughs in this little book. Awesome!

[Ebb · Rating 3 out of 5]

This thing made me smile, again and again.

[Shane · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Questions have a lot to answer for"