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Opened Ground : Selected Poems, 1966-1996

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Unique Poetic excavation dives into history with empathy.

This book, "Opened Ground: Selected Poems, 1966-1996", is a collection of Seamus Heaney's work that delves deep into the past, both personal and historic. Through poetic excavation, he uncovers the cultural and linguistic richness of his Gaelic tradition while intertwining it with the complexities of Northern Ireland's political landscape. Heaney's words are a fusion of power and danger, as he navigates the minefield of language during times of crisis. With his supreme sense of empathy, he transports readers to childhood fields, invoking vivid imagery that leaves an indelible mark. "Opened Ground" is not just a book, but a triumph that showcases Heaney's importance as one of the most significant poets of his time.

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Opened Ground : Selected Poems, 1966-1996

Regular price $15.49
Unit price
per
ISBN: 9780374526788
Authors: Seamus Heaney
Date of Publication: 1999-10-25
Format: Paperback
Related Collections: Poetry
Related Topics: Literature, Classics
Goodreads rating: 4.27
(rated by 5700 readers)

Description

In "Digging", the first poem in Opened Ground, Heaney likens his pen to both spade and gun. With these metaphors in place, he makes clear his difficult poetic task: to delve into the past, both personal and historic, while remaining ever mindful of the potentially fatal power of language.Born and raised in Northern Ireland, where any hint of Gaelic tradition in one's speech was considered a political act, Heaney is all too aware of the dire consequences of speaking one's mind. Indeed, during times of crisis, he has been expected to appear on television and dispense political wisdom. Most often, however, he stays out of the fray and opts for a supreme sense of empathy to guide his words. As excavator--of earth, of his beloved Gaelic, of his own life--Heaney is unmatched. In "Bone Dreams", the archaeologist's task is synonymous with reaching for a cultural past: I push back through dictions, Elizabethan canopies, Norman devices, the erotic mayflowers of Provence and the ivied Latins of churchmen to the scop's twang, the iron flash of consonants cleaving the line.And in early poems like "Blackberry Picking", Heaney's images--deftly, delightfully--carry us back to childhood fields: At first, just one, a glossy purple clot Among others, red, green, hard as a knot. You ate that first one and its flesh was sweet Like thickened wine: summer's blood was in it Leaving stains upon the tongue and lust for Picking. Then red ones inked up and that hunger Sent us out with milk cans, pea tins, jam pots Where briars scratched and wet grass bleached our boots. Round hayfields, cornfields and potato drills We trekked and picked until the cans were full... Opened Ground is a pleasure and a triumph. These three decades of work confirm Heaney as one of the most important poets of his time. --Martha Silano
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Unique Poetic excavation dives into history with empathy.

This book, "Opened Ground: Selected Poems, 1966-1996", is a collection of Seamus Heaney's work that delves deep into the past, both personal and historic. Through poetic excavation, he uncovers the cultural and linguistic richness of his Gaelic tradition while intertwining it with the complexities of Northern Ireland's political landscape. Heaney's words are a fusion of power and danger, as he navigates the minefield of language during times of crisis. With his supreme sense of empathy, he transports readers to childhood fields, invoking vivid imagery that leaves an indelible mark. "Opened Ground" is not just a book, but a triumph that showcases Heaney's importance as one of the most significant poets of his time.