The New Poetry of Wales

Ian Gregson

Ian Gregson maintains that the most exciting poetry in Britain is being written in Wales. In this book he demonstrates how contemporary Welsh poets, including Robert Minhinnick, Gwyneth Lewis, Oliver Reynolds, Stephen Knight and many others have evolved techniques to explore the most pressing issues in today’s culture. For example, their poems express their anxieties about environmental issues and the damage inflicted on the third world by global capitalism. It also explores how questions about language have acquired such significance, a particularly urgent theme for Welsh poets. Nevertheless, these poets also draw upon the traditional themes of poetry, often using traditional poetic forms such as rhyming stanzas which are given a vivid and modern slant through their use of contemporary language.

Professor Ian Gregson is Senior Lecturer in the English Department at the University of Wales, Bangor. He has published several titles on modern and post-modern poetry and literature.