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This "Selected Poems" contains poetry chosen by Carol Ann Duffy from her first four acclaimed volumes, "Standing Female Nude", "Selling Manhattan", "The Other Country", and "Mean Time" (winner of the Whitbread Poetry Award), as well as six poems from the later "The World's Wife". 'In the world of British poetry, Carol Ann Duffy is a superstar. Highbrow and lowbrow, readers love her' - "The Guardian". 'Carol Ann Duffy is a very, very bright, appealing, clever, ingenious, approachable and...heartwarming writer. She's a Good Thing, capital G, capital T, one of the poets I most enjoy reading' - Andrew Motion. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Darkly Lovely
I never liked poetry before discovering the dark, haunting appeal of Carol Ann Duffy."Valentine" will stick with me the rest of my life.

Great poetry!
Carol Ann Duffy, the first woman poet laureate, explores many different themes in this selection of poems from childhood memories to relationships.
Her poems are accessible and entertaining and yet she is touching, sensitive and witty.
Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions

I Love it!
If you love modern poetry then this is the book for you! Carol Ann Duffy explores many aspects of modern life in this selection of poems from childhood to relationships.... and if you are looking for lighthearted poems the last section on the worlds wife is great! I really enjoyed studying all of the poems for my A levels and will definantly go back and read some of her other poems! DEFINANTLY WORTH A READ! :) ... Read more

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Be terrified.
It's you I love,
perfect man, Greek God, my own;
but I know you'll go, betray me, stray
from home.
So better by far for me if you were stone.
--from "Medusa"

Stunningly original and haunting, the voices of Mrs. Midas, Queen Kong, and Frau Freud, to say nothing of the Devil's Wife herself, startle us with their wit, imagination, and incisiveness in this collection of poems written from the perspectives of the wives, sisters, or girlfriends of famous -- and infamous -- male personages. Carol Ann Duffy is a master at drawing on myth and history, then subverting them in a vivid and surprising way to create poems that have the pull of the past and the crack of the contemporary. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

Snappy and charming!
These poems are worth re-reading at least every three months to revive one's pleasure in being a woman.

Excellentcollection!
Carol Ann Duffy's imagination and use of the English language have created a wonderful collection.
Read aloud - at least to yourself if no one else.
True intelligent enjoyment!

Deep and original!
In "The World's Wife," Duffy takes up her themes from myths, fables, the bible, popular culture, literature and history. I find it very original that Duffy gives a voice to unheard women such as "Pilate's Wife," "Mrs. Darwin, " "Mrs. Sisyphus" and "Anne Hathaway." The more modern ones are"Mrs. Faust" and"Queen Kong".
These women's voices reveal their personal struggles which are sometimes universal ones.

Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions

New voices
In "The World's Wife," Duffy deftly reworks tales from myths, fables, the bible, popular culture, literature and history. Some popular stories are reexamined through the eyes of a female witness, as with "Pilate's Wife," "Mrs. Darwin, " "Mrs. Sisyphus" and "Anne Hathaway." Others are modernized; In "Mrs. Faust," Faust and his wife are a pair of yuppies collecting degrees, computers and cell phones. A few stories, like "Queen Kong", are reimagined with a female protagonist replacing the male. The poetry is as diverse as the personae, with voices ranging from lingering, dreamy and dramatic to hard, clipped and succinct.

The World's Wife lets previously unheard women speak. Their voices are not always what readers expect from a lyric speaker, for how often is deep emotion examined through rhyming slang for tits, or the nicknames for a penis?Yet when Duffy calls a modern wife frustrated by her husband's discovery of Viagra "Mrs. Rip Van Winkle," or a contemporary-voiced woman whose husband works mindlessly and ceaselessly "Mrs. Sisyphus," Duffy reveals that their personal struggles are not theirs alone.Their troubles have resonance, and echo through history, literature and myth---even though in the past it may have been left unspoken.

Brilliant
Ms. Duffy has written some of the most powerful poems I have read (my favourite being "Education for Leisure") and "The World's Wife" certainly keeps up with these. "The Devil's Wife," based on Myra Hindley, was brilliant and showed evil in a most pure form, and the passionate Queen Herod showed how much a woman would do for her child. A monumental book and by far the best poetry in recent years. ... Read more

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A dramatized version, by Tim Supple, of Carol Ann Duffy's retelling of Grimm fairy tales in "The Brothers Grimm". Teacher's notes are included. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (10)

A review of Mean Time by Carol Ann Duffy.
I think the poems in 'Mean Time' are remarkable, so much so that I believe this selection should be made compulsory for GCSE level English.Duffy after all touches on so many tragedies endemic to the human condition which, while poignant, are also important to take note of. Such tragedies include our inability as humans to return to our past lives, a theme which is evocatively predominant in Beachcomber.Other tragedies include the potential for time to steal loved ones from us, and the innate loneliness that accompanies old age.

It is after all important to take note of those moments in time which no matter how hard we try we will never be able to get back to.Duffy herself notes that (i'm paraphrasing here), we're all owed happiness sooner or later.The tricks to remember when we achieved it or to see it coming.After all if we do not take note of such happy experiences as those described in 'The Captain of the 1964 Top of the Form Team' or 'Moments of Grace', what would we possibily have to comfort us in our older years when we seem to be surrounded by nothing but loneliness?

carol ann duffy
In my opinion, and i confess this is all i can offer, is that those who do not, or cannot understand and appreciate Duffy's work should not critisize it.Duffy is a highly complex poet who skillfully creates a palimphset of images and meanings.Those who interpret her poetry as one-dimentional and unvarying in theme simply lack the vision or the energy to look more deeply into the poetry.Duffy's words have the power to reach into your heart and touch you to the point of tears or to make you laugh out loud, those who remain un-moved are sadly numb to the raw emotion of her outpourings.The vibrant humour, vivid descriptions and at times brutal honesty these collected poems has made Duffy one of my favourite poets of all time.

A one dimensional poet of our time
I have the unfortunate task of having to study this 'poet',as part of my 'A' level English course.
I find her poetry to be very limited in imagination, merely concentrating on a very narrow view of issues that obviously she, is passionate about. I feel that this limits her ability as a poet to see things from a different perspective other than her own,but,what do I know,I am merely a student!.

duffy defended
I won't bore anyone with my interpretations of the work, a little patience and a little insight will yield your own conclusions. But i do recommend investing that time, this collection is one of the finest i have encountered and i return to it as i might to an old friend. Other reviewers have criticised it for being repetetive, but where one deals with the major themes that poets tend to grapple with, such 'repetition' is apt to happen. It is the refreshing way in which she deals with universal themes that marks this book out as one which will endure. Duffy is one of the brightest contemporary talents, do not be put off by those who were forced to study the work and somehow bypassed its beauty, this is a deeply moving collection, with a fair bite of sharp humour - enjoy.

Poorly expressed thoughts from a poorly defined poet.
After reading this book for my as level English Literature course I realised that Carol Ann Duffy's poems are very limited in topics and I'd like to take this chance to express my disappointment.For a poet who's supposed to be well known for being a "representative poet of the present day" she doesn't include very many ideas!!

I was subjected to many months of torture reading through these poems, one by one, taking notes on the blatently obvious.

The captain of the 1964 top of the form team- thinking back to childhood
Litany- thinking back to childhood.
Stafford Afternoons- thinking back to childhood.

This is what my notes consisted of after all the time spent on them.I was very disappointed in value for money.Bring back Keats into the classroom! ... Read more

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This is the second in a series which aims to show the richness and diversity of contemporary poetry. It offers representative poems of three poets, Carol Ann Duffy, Vicki Feaver and Eavan Boland, who chose the poems themselves. ... Read more

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The exceptional talents of Carol Ann Duffy and papercut artist Rob Ryan combine to present the story of a girl's journey through life and the desires that shape it. With a kind of magic that is timeless, The Gift speaks to everyone who wonders about the mysteries that lie at the heart of the human experience. A unique gift book for all ages by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy This lyrical text about life, love and art is accompanied by stunning papercut illustrations. The Gift portrays the cycle of life in a subtle, accessible way while exploring themes of birth, death, love and the importance of family and friends. ... Read more

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"Haunting, mysterious paintings by Catherine Hyde form the highly unusual illustrations for Carol Ann Duffy’s new fairy tale." — INSIDE CORNWALL MAGAZINE

A young princess who can never feel warm. A worried king and queen. A stranger in black with hard gray eyes. A musician with a kind and good heart. Carol Ann Duffy’s powerful new fairy tale explores the depths of human fears, frailty, and love, complemented by a series of beautiful, atmospheric paintings by acclaimed artist Catherine Hyde. Compelling, lyrical, magical — this is the tale of THE PRINCESS'S BLANKETS. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Excellent!Not your usual princess story
This is about as far away as you can get from a Disney princess story, both in text and in art.Carol Ann Duffy selects her words carefully (she's Britain's poet laureate, after all) and creates vivid images of a princess who can't get warm and what follows.She is not passive and her will is strong, resisting the magical blankets put on her by a man whose looks she doesn't like.In the end, she is won over by music, coming from the flute of a man passing by.And to correct the School Library Journal review above, she doesn't marry the musician."The musician only asked to stay always by the princess's side, and the princess agreed."And now the art -- it's not what you usually see in children's books.Beautiful, textured, almost abstract at times, it adds to the story without competing with the words. ... Read more

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York Notes Advanced offer a fresh and accessible approach to English Literature.This market-leading series has been completely updated to meet the needs of today's A-level and undergraduate students.Written by established literature experts, York Notes Advanced intorduce students to more sophisticated analysis, a range of critical perspectives and wider contexts. ... Read more

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Whether writing of longing or adultery, romance or seduction, Carol Ann Duffy captures the truth of what it means to love, to be in love, and to be loved in return - and, sometimes, of what it means when love ends. Her poetry speaks of tangled, heated passion; of declarations, arguments and jealousies; of love both requited and unrequited, both fierce and tender. As with all her writing, these poems are alive to the sounds of modern life, but also attuned to - and rich with - the traditions of love poetry. Containing some of her most popular poems, "Love Poems" displays all the eloquence and skill that have made Carol Ann Duffy one of the foremost poets of her time. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (3)

Grief in Reverse
A modern Shakespeare, awakening our senses to the way love dissolves boundaries and occupies everything from rivers to clouds to stars to gardens and earth and leaves and graves. If you love the way a poem tumbles off your tongue, read this book. Every line is quotable, memorable. If you enjoy love and grief as a topic (and they most certainly go together), read this book.

Fabulous poetry
Carol Ann Duffy's book is the winner of the T.S. Eliot Prize. It is a collection of love poems about the different complex manifestations of love, such as the feelings of infatuation, longing, passion, commitment, rancor, separation and grief. This fabulous collection speaks for everyone.

Joyce Akesson, author of Love's Thrilling Dimensions

Passion and music
I went to the launch of this book recently, which was a performance by both the author Carol Ann Duffy and Eliana Tomkins, the composer and singer. It was one of the most exciting literary events I have ever attended. The words spoken by Duffy were powerful and beautiful, but the added pleasure of hearing the poems so beautifully captured in song was a moving experience I would like to repeat, at which the audience wept, amazed. The songs are fabulous; easy to listen to but also full of gorgeous surprises; Ms Tomkins' voice is a creamy, erotic wonder. Do not miss the book nor the cd, which is on the JAZZ7 label. ... Read more

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In Feminine Gospels, Carol Ann Duffy is in bravura form as she draws on womens experienceboth personal and historicalto entertain and challenge in poems which celebrate, elegize and eroticize the female condition. With an architecture of longer poems on beauty, identity and the physical, Feminine Gospels tells tall stories as though they were gospel truth. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

A slow start, on the whole this is an extraordinary collection of humorous, intelligent, beautiful poems. Recommended
A collection of 22 poems, Feminine Gospels can approximately be divided into: poems of sometimes comical feminine traits and archetypes, one long poem, and poems on women and metaphysical matters. It's a wide breadth for such a small book, all written in Duffy's sometimes-playful, sometimes-rhyming, empathetic language. The quality varies, but I believe the book gets better as it goes on. The archetypal poems didn't appeal to me, but the long poem, The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High, is brilliant and justifies the entire collection, and the denser, metaphysical poems that follow are all beautiful. Recommended.

Whether the poems are intentionally divided, I couldn't say--but there seems to be a clear difference between the thirds of the book. The first third explores the lives of beautiful women from Helen of Troy to Marilyn Monroe, a woman who diets herself down to almost nothing, a woman who's subbed for dozens of historical men's roles, and other stories of female traits (shopper, dieter) and archetypes (virgin, crone). Many of these poems share an irreverent, humorous tone; many of them mesh reality with fantastical events in a way that much reminds me of Atwood's The Edible Woman. Personally, I don't identity with any of these feminine archetypes, and I'm not a fan of humor--and so these poems, however skilfully written, left little impression on me. That may be a personal complaint, and other readers may have a better response to this section.

The Laughter of Stafford Girls' High follows. 20 times longer than the other selections, it's the story of laughter which infects a British girl's school, and it's word-perfect: Duffy's unexpected rhymes are an ideal match to the story's laughter and joy, and her voice also lends well to the remarkably sensitive emotional impact that the laughter has on the teachers. Joyous, liberating, empathetic, this long poem is well-rounded and a complete success--it alone justifies picking up this collection. The final third is made up of poems on words, umbilical cords, death, and love--more poetic, more metaphysical topics. Duffy's style curls in on itself, rich and dense; poems may require two or three readings, but they reward that effort: each a quiet, complex, metaphysical study, these poems are thoughtful and beautiful. So while this collection was initially not to my liking, it improves as it goes on and is by the end a distinct success. With such a wide breadth, there should be a poem here for every reader, and Feminine Gospels is a good place to begin with Duffy's work--I was fairly new to her poetry, and found this collection varied, approachable, and a joy to read. I recommend it. ... Read more

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In Out of Fashion Carol Ann Duffy selects the best and freshest contemporary poets and asks them in turn to select their favourite poem, from another time or culture, which looks at how we dress, or undress, how we cover up or reveal. In these vibrant poems, we are shown how clothes, fashion and jewelry are both a necessity and a luxury. The result is a vital and entertaining dialogue between the two arts of poetry and fashion and between poets from the past and the present. ... Read more

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In this collection, ever popular fairy tales have been adapted and dramatized by Carol Ann Duffy, Tim Supple and the Young Vic Theatre Company. ... Read more

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Customer Reviews (1)

not what I expected
Maybe I should have read some reviews before buying. I was expecting this to be an all-Duffy book, as several others I've bought before. It turned out to be a compilation of poems from other authors 'answering back' to famous poets in history. Some of the 'answers' are very good but, all in all, it's not what I expected ... Read more

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This interim selection from a popular and award-winning poet presents new and uncollected work, including poems written since her award-winning collection "Mean Time" (1993), poems from "The World's Wife" and poems for children. ... Read more

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The award-winning poet and editor of I Wouldn't Thank You for a Valentine has collected the works of poets such as Alice Walker, Seamus Heaney, Janet Frame, and Roger McGough as they stop to consider the most painful and irrevocable of losses--death. The poems highlight the battling and varied emotions that death can inspire and are essential reading for those dealing with death--as well as those learning how to live. ... Read more

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This volume draws together a body of work spanning the last twenty years. It includes poems from six major collections, from "Standing Female Nude" (1985) to "Feminine Gospels" (2002), and a handful of 'other poems', collected here for the first time. It shows a writer who hit the ground running, emerging into the world a fully formed and utterly distinctive voice, and who, twenty years later, can be counted among the foremost of the poets of any generation. From the outset, the world is her oyster. Carol Ann Duffy's curiosity takes her across continents, and into the minds of psychopaths, babies, queens and giggling schoolgirls with equal relish. It is a strange yet disarmingly familiar world, shot with mythic, fabulous and popular histories. Language is turned inside out and upside down, its riches and exoticism found in the demotic of the everyday as much as in foreign parts. She has a quicksilver intelligence that can move from ribald mimicry one moment to an intensely tough and affecting lyricism the next.This physical, visceral poetry gives true meaning to the concept of a body of work, and will provide a perfect introduction to new readers and a glorious sum of parts to old acquaintances. ... Read more

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Key Features: * Study methods * Introduction to the text * Summaries with critical notes * Themes and techniques * Textual analysis of key passages * Author biography * Historical and literary background * Modern and historical critical approaches * Chronology * Glossary of literary terms ... Read more