The 20th Century in Poetry

A friend of mine in the UK has advised "that The 20th Century in Poetry, a new anthology has just been published here in Britain and it  has a very good selection of NZ poets, 9 in total I think: A.R.D. Fairburn, Allen Curnow, Kendrick Smithyman, James K. Baxter, C. K. Stead, Vincent O'Sullivan, Bill Manhire, Andrew Johnston, Elizabeth Smither".

He also advises that "The anthology received a very nice review from The Guardian's literary editor, Claire Armitstead, on BBC2 radio". 

The book is published by Ebury Press, a Random House imprint and RHNZ advise me that the hardback book will be released here on 2 December with a rrp of NZ$59.99.

Here is what Ebury Press have to say about the book on their website:

This ground-breaking anthology presents in chronological order over 400 poems written in the twentieth century. The authors, both published poets themselves, give an overview of each period of history, while notes to the poems place each one in its historical context and trace the century's poetic development. Concise biographies for each poet complete the anthology. By organizing the poems in chronological order, readers will see poets in a new light. Here A.E. Houseman, for example, rubs shoulders with T.S. Eliot, showing that traditional forms can hold their own against the modernist orthodoxy. Here are poets rescued from oblivion, such as the suffragette who wrote a compelling poem about her mistreatment in Holloway Prison in 1912 or the medical offer who went into Belsen with the British troops producing an eye-witness poem of lasting power. All the major events of the twentieth century are reflected in the choice of poems within these pages. This richly rewarding collection makes invaluable reading for poetry lovers all over the world.

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: 

Michael Hulse teaches poetry at Warwick University and regularly does reading tours in the UK, the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and India.  He is based in Warwick. Simon Rae is a playwright, novelist and broadcaster (he presented Radio 4's 'Poetry Please' for several years). He lives in Banbury, Oxfordshire. Both Michael Hulse and Simon Rae are published poets and winners of the National Poetry Competition.

I can't wait to get my hands on a copy.