Description

This is the second of four collections of essays intended to be published under the general title Studies in Contemporary Irish Literature (only two were) which are devoted to critical analysis of Irish writing since the 1950s. When taken together, it is intended that the four volumes will provide a solid foundation for scholars and students interested in the extraordinary achievements of Irish writers over the past few decades. The first volume, Cultural Contexts and Literary Idioms in Contemporary Irish Literature, also edited by Professor Kenneally and published in 1988, mapped out aspects of the cultural, social and political context of contemporary Irish writing and examined predominant concerns within a given literary genre. Essays in the present collection establish some of the defining characteristics of contemporary Irish poetry, examine common features of several groups of poets and present focused analyses of twelve individual poets.