The Ulster Renaissance: Poetry in Belfast 1962-1972 By Heather Clark

Book The Ulster renaissance wind

This is the first full length study of the extraordinary period of intense poetic activity in Belfast known as the Ulster Renaissance a time when young Northern Irish poets such as Seamus Heaney Derek Mahon Michael Longley James Simmons and Paul Muldoon began crafting their art and tuning their voices through each other Drawing extensively upon new archival material as well as personal interviews and correspondence The Ulster Renaissance argues that these poets friendships and rivalries were crucial to their autonomous artistic development The book also sheds new light on the idea of a collaborative Belfast coterie often treated derisively by critics and shows that the poets frequently engaged in efforts to promote a cohesive Northern literary community distinct from that which existed in London and Dublin It suggests that it was this cohesion at turns inclusive and confining which ultimately challenged the Belfast poets to find their individual voices The Ulster Renaissance Poetry in Belfast 1962 1972