Scanning the Century: The Penguin Book of the Twentieth Century in Verse
About the book
The Penguin Book of the Twentieth Century in Verse, edited by Peter Forbes (Viking), offers a unique perspective on the events, movements, hopes, and fears that have shaped the last 100 years. While acknowledging that poets may not be the most reliable recorders of history, the book delves into how poets have enshrined the experiences of the century through verse.
Poetry as a historical record
The absence of commanding poetic voices during the second world war was keenly felt, highlighting the importance of poetry in reflecting on and responding to significant events. However, the inherited language and paradigms of fear from previous wars may have limited the ability to capture the true magnitude of modern conflicts, such as the threat of nuclear destruction.
Editorial choices and omissions
Peter Forbes takes a non-narrative approach to what constitutes "history" and includes a mix of English-language responses and translated verse. While there are some notable inclusions, there are also notable omissions, such as the German response to the first world war and the official poetry of the Soviet regime. Additionally, there are missed opportunities to explore the language dimension of new nationalisms and the writings of influential poets like Hugh MacDiarmid and Josephine Miles.
The best historical poetry
The collection recognizes that the best historical poetry often goes beyond capturing specific events or moods. Poets like Thomas Hardy offer timeless reflections on the vanity of human wishes, while associative surrealism and didacticism have their merits in poems by Tristan Tzara, Guillaume Apollinaire, and Brodsky among others.
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