New British Poetry

The only definitive anthology of contemporary British poetry available in the United States,
New British Poetry presents the exciting work of thirty-five poets from England, Scotland, and Wales. In compiling this landmark anthology, T. S. Eliot Prize-winning Scottish poet Don Paterson and Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Charles Simic followed two rules: the poets chosen should be born after 1945 and should have at least two books published in Britain. The resulting anthology collects some of the very best work of a new generation of poets who have come of age since Philip Larkin and Ted Hughes.

From established poets such as Andrew Motion and James Fenton, to mid-career poets such as Glyn Maxwell and Kathleen Jamie, to recent T. S. Eliot Prize-winner Alice Oswald, the work is fiercely intelligent, often irreverent, and engaged with traditional forms and an exhilarating range of styles.

A generous sampling of each poet's work is included. As Paterson writes in his introduction, "this group of poets represents some of the most intelligent and imaginative writers
working in the English language today." New British Poetry is destined to become a seminal anthology, introducing many important new voices to American readers.

Don Paterson is the poetry editor at Picador U.K. and author of The White Lie:
New and Selected Poetry. Charles Simic won the 1990 Pulitzer Prize for his poetry
collection The World Doesn't End. He teaches writing at the University of New Hampshire.