Happy 2009!
I thought I'd write down some of my favourite poets and poetry collections:
Wilfred Owen- A soldier who died during World War I, his poetry speaks of the cruelty of war. It is used extensively in Benjamin Britten's War Requiem. I love "Dulce et Decorum Est" and "Strange Meeting".
Sylvia Plath- Mentally unstable, suicidal-- but a brilliant poet. Lady Lazarus is my favourite work of hers.
Dorothy Parker- Light, funny verse, often with dark undertones. A lot of her work focuses on the idea of "good enough."
Robert Frost- Classic and his work is much more accessible than most. My favourites are "Something Like a Star" and "The Rose Family."
Edgar Allan Poe- His "Annabel Lee" may be my favourite poem.
My mother would like me to mention that she has always loved Ogden Nash.
I'm certain I left out a lot of wonderful poets and poems. There's such a vast quantity of quality work from which to choose. With the exception of Poe, my favourite poets tend to be 20th century, probably due to the greater accessibility of the language. I do have some wonderful poems from earlier centuries that I greatly enjoy. Perhaps that will be another post.
