On Seamus Heaney - (Writers on Writers) by Roy Foster (Paperback)

About the Book

"Seamus Heaney was the leading Irish poet of the second half of the twentieth century, and, after W. B. Yeats, arguably the most significant poet in the history of Irish literature. When he died in 2013 the public reaction in Ireland was extraordinary, and the outpouring of feeling decisively demonstrated that he occupied an exceptional place in national life. The words of his last message to his wife, 'Noli timere', 'Don't be afraid', appeared over and over again on social media, while key phrases from favourite poems became and have remained canonical. In this short book, conceived for the Writers on Writers series, historian Roy Foster offers an extended and largley chronological reflection upon Heaney's life, work and historical context, from the poet's origins in Northern Ireland and the publication of Death of a Naturalist in 1966, through the explosive impact of his 1975 collection North, and then into his years as a 'world poet' and an Irish writer with a powerful influence on English literature generally. Foster considers virtually all of Heaney's major output, including later volumes such as The Spirit Level and Human Chain, as well as Heaney's translation of Beowulf and his renderings from Virgil. Throughout the book, Foster conveys something of Heaney's charismatic, expansive and subtle personality, as well as the impact of his work in both the USA and in Europe. Certain themes emerge throughout, such as the way Heaney maintained a deceptive simplicity throughout his writing career, his relations with classical literature and the poetry of dissidence in Eastern Europe, and the increasing presence of the unseen and even spiritual in his later work. Foster also highlights Heaney's importance as a critic and the largely unacknowledged ways in which his own trajectory echoed that of the life and work of Yeats. Though Heaney evaded direct comparisons with his Nobel-prizewinning predecessor, he personified the quality which he attributed to Yeats: 'the gift of establishing authority within a culture'. Both poets made a challenging and oblique use of autobiography and personal history in their work, and both sustained a very particular and sometimes contested relation to the life of their country. Foster shows us that Heaney, like Yeats, came to personify and express the Ireland of his time with unique force and resonance"--

Book Synopsis

A vivid and original account of one of Ireland's greatest poets by an acclaimed Irish historian and literary biographer

The most important Irish poet of the postwar era, Seamus Heaney rose to prominence as his native Northern Ireland descended into sectarian violence. A national figure at a time when nationality was deeply contested, Heaney also won international acclaim, culminating in the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. In On Seamus Heaney, leading Irish historian and literary critic R. F. Foster gives an incisive and eloquent account of the poet and his work against the background of a changing Ireland.

Drawing on unpublished drafts and correspondence, Foster provides illuminating and personal interpretations of Heaney's work. Though a deeply charismatic figure, Heaney refused to don the mantle of public spokesperson, and Foster identifies a deliberate evasiveness and creative ambiguity in his poetry. In this, and in Heaney's evocation of a disappearing rural Ireland haunted by political violence, Foster finds parallels with the other towering figure of Irish poetry, W. B. Yeats. Foster also discusses Heaney's cosmopolitanism, his support for dissident poets abroad, and his increasing focus in his later work on death and spiritual transcendence. Above all, Foster examines how Heaney created an extraordinary connection with an exceptionally wide readership, giving him an authority and power unique among contemporary writers.

Combining a vivid account of Heaney's life and a compelling reading of his entire oeuvre, On Seamus Heaney extends our understanding of the man as it enriches our appreciation of his poetry.

Review Quotes

"R. F. Foster has herein written an altogether focused, and most vivid account of quite possibly the most important Irish poet of the postwar era."---David Marx, David Marx Book Reviews

"

It's not the done thing to choose a book of which I'm the dedicatee: even so, RF Foster's On Seamus Heaney, which is short but runs deep, was for me the richest food for the spirit in 2020.

"---Jan Dalley, Financial Times

"[On Seamus Heaney] adds welcome layers to our understanding of Heaney as a poet and of the kind of public intellectual who attains moral standing in the wider world. . . . I hope that others who care about our literary inheritance will use On Seamus Heaney as a standard for writing about writing. Its combination of meticulousness and soul can only enrich our understanding."---Denise Provost, Somerville Times

"[An] excellent new study."---James Parker, The Atlantic

"[A] careful and attentive poetic biography."---Peter Craven, Sydney Morning Herald

"[A] succinct but insightful critical biography that puts the poetry of Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) firmly in the context of his life and times. . . . This reflective and incisive study works both as an academic research aid and as an accessible primer for general poetry readers."-- "Publishers Weekly"

"[Foster's] knowledge of Heaney is nothing short of encyclopedic. . . . An excellent roadmap for readers."---John Austin Gray, Fare Forward

"A brief and brilliant study that weaves together the life and work of the Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet."---Sunil Khilnani, Open Magazine

"A compact but comprehensive guide."---Seamus Perry, London Review of Books ​​​​​​

"A concise, meticulously researched account. . . . Foster couples forensic attention to detail with engaging prose."---Tara McEvoy, Times Literary Supplement

"A sparkling memorial to an utterly singular poet."---Sebastian Barry, Sydney Morning Herald

"A timely perspective on the Northern Irish troubles as experienced and responded to in Heaney's work."---Fiona O'Connor, Morning Star

"A very good 'short book essay' on one of my favorite poets."---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution

"As one would expect of Foster, the suavest Irish historian of his generation, the handling of Irish contexts . . . is impeccable."---David Wheatley, Literary Review

"Engrossing. . . . Undeniably impressive."---Hilary A. White, Irish Independent

"Foster brings long-felt passion and measured scholarship to his welcome analysis of the poetry of Seamus Heaney."-- "RTE"

"Foster's characteristic brio brings Heaney to life again. . . . On Seamus Heaney, with its abundant account of his life, its illuminating analysis of his work, and the generous quotations from favourite poems, should find a place on bookshelves all over Ireland and beyond."---Clíona Ní Ríordáin, Irish Times

"Foster's painstakingly researched and affectionately penned On Seamus Heaney offers an illuminating bite-sized refresher course on one of our greatest literary talents."---David Roy, Irish News

"If a book on poetry can teach, Roy Foster's new book about Ireland's Nobel Prize poet Seamus Heaney shares it all."---Ronn Hartviksen, Chronicle Journal

"It is difficult to imagine how a brief, general, fair-minded introduction to Heaney might be bettered . . . . The book is more literary criticism than biography, although it effortlessly combines the two so that it's difficult to say where one starts and the other ends, which suits Heaney down to the ground. Foster's trademark elegance, clarity, and skill in shaping a narrative are to the fore, and he remains a more lucid and nuanced reader of Irish poetry than many specialized critics."---Alan Gillis, Irish University Review

"More than [in] any other writing on Heaney, you actually get a sense of Heaney's own personality, his charisma, his friendliness, his warmth, his humour and it's a hugely respectful biography in that way because you get the sense of Heaney's own words about himself that have not been made public before and you've got the impression, at least, of being in his company and that's one of the things I was hoping for in the book and it certainly comes across."---Peter Mackay, BBC Radio 3 "Free Thinking"

"One of the finest books to date on Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney."---Daniel Picker, New Ulster

"One of the most elegant works of criticism I have ever read."---David Mason, Hudson Review

"One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2020: Critics' Picks"

"The joy of this book emanates from the sense of intimacy that Foster captures in each epoch, enabling readers to get a sense of Heaney's personality. . . . This book is an essential complement to any study of Heaney's poetry, as it creates a more comprehensive understanding of how life informs art."-- "Choice"

"There will be longer, fatter biographical and critical books about Seamus Heaney, but none will be better written, more knowledgeable, more generously understanding than this one."---Anne Chisholm, The Tablet ​​​​​​​

"This exploration of Heaney's oeuvre, and the tumultuous times that inspired it, is an immensely enjoyable step towards giving Ireland's great poet his due."---Maria Crawford, Financial Times

"Writing with the restraint of the professional academic but with all the vim of a youthful enthusiast, R. F. Foster has published On Seamus Heaney, his take on the life and writings of one of Ireland's famous poets . . . Foster has captured the young Heaney in a manner that readers can grasp fully, and the description is written in elevated language that is appropriate to the status of its subject. . . . I recommend this book very highly indeed."---Ian Lipke, Queensland Reviewers Collective

About the Author

R. F. Foster is Professor of Irish History and Literature at Queen Mary University of London and Emeritus Professor of Irish History at the University of Oxford. His many books include Modern Ireland: 1600-1972, the two-volume W. B. Yeats: A Life, and, most recently, Vivid Faces: The Revolutionary Generation in Ireland, 1890-1923. Foster's writing has appeared in the Guardian, the New York Review of Books, the Irish Times, and many other publications. He lives in London.