Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Although I dislike Wells's frequently nasty poetry reviews--and his domination of poetry reviewing space in Canada--this looks like an interesting anthology. Blurb from Biblioasis website.

Jailbreaks: 99 Canadian Sonnets
[978-1-897231]

Jailbreaks: 99 Canadian Sonnets

ISBN: 978-1-897231-44-9 | Wells, Zachariah | Jailbreaks: 99 Canadian Sonnets | Poetry | $19.95

In 1910 Lawrence J. Burpee published an anthology of 100 Canadian Sonnets. Poet and critic Zachariah Wells figured it was high time for an update on that dusty tome. In Jailbreaks, Wells has gathered 99 of his favourite sonnets written by Canadians, from the 19th century to the present day. Jailbreaks does much to question the standard assumption that the best Canadian poetry is written in free verse, while showcasing the enormous versatility of the sonnet and of the poets who use it as a vessel for their thoughts and feelings. It just might change the way we think about Canadian poetry.

Includes poems by:
Milton Acorn, Margaret Avison, Ken Babstock, Elizabeth Bachinsky, Tim Bowling, George Elliott Clarke, Fred Cogswell, Leonard Cohen, Don Coles, Mary Dalton, Ralph Gustafson, Steven Heighton, Daryl Hine, George Johnston, A.M. Klein, Archibald Lampman, Irving Layton, Malcolm Lowry, Gwendolyn MacEwen, Don McKay, John Newlove, Alden Nowlan, George Murry, Eric Ormsby, Richard Outram, Molly Peacock, E.J. Pratt, Steven Price, Stuart Ross, Robyn Sarah, Goran Simić, Karen Solie, Raymond Souster, Carmine Starnino, Peter Van Toorn, Phyllis Webb, and many others.

1 comment:

  1. Hilary, this does look like it's worth a read. I tend to ignore reviewers like Wells, who make their careers on trashing the work of others, despite their own literary limitations. Criticism is fine, vitriol is juvenile. As for the neoformalist trend, I love what Alice Fulton has to say about it.. something like ... unfortunately, most neoformalist verse sacrifices content for form.. must find her quote..

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