Post-2000 Poetry of Dissent: Comparative Readings For students of International A-Level English Literature

«In "Post-2000 Poetry of Dissent," Dr Abha Prakash’s student-focussed explication of poems proceeds comparatively, identifying ways in which pairs of poems from the A-level syllabus address thematically similar phenomena or ideas while the poems’ uniquenesses are thus thrown into relief. Prakash’s helpful elucidations particularly highlight questions of specific power relations or societal injustices the individual poets are scrutinizing and directly or indirectly critiquing. Her essays instructively model approaches to poems for students developing literary critical skills.»

(Susan Gingell, PhD, Professor Emerita and Master Teacher, University of Saskatchewan)

«The best 21st-century poets confront edgy and difficult topics that reflect the realities of our time. Abha Prakash’s clear and accessible critiques offer readers a reliable and sensitive guide to the complex questions these poets raise, while also showing how poetic techniques shape each poem’s unique form and expression.»

(Anthony John Harding, Professor Emeritus, University of Saskatchewan)

An insightful critique of contemporary award-winning poetry published between 2000 and 2011 by British poets, this resource text offers a critical appreciation of 28 poems that form part of the anthology, Poems of the Decade, which are studied by A level students in the UK and international centres each year. All the 28 poems express varying degrees of dissent, in theme, style, and techniques. They also offer interesting lines of discussion and debate in the AS English classroom. This is a book of original analytical perspectives by an experienced English Literature teacher who expertly identifies each poem’s implicit and explicit context, as well as its unique response to our twenty-first century world.

Born and raised in Delhi, Abha Prakash did her schooling at
Presentation Convent and her BA and MA at Hindu College,
Delhi University. She completed her PhD from University of
Saskatchewan, Canada in 1994. She worked as a lecturer in the
English Department at St. Stephen’s College, Delhi University,
before moving in 2002 to Auroville, Tamil Nadu, where she taught
English Literature at Future School until 2022. She is currently
focused on selections of her poetry and memoir, besides working
in Auroville as a content editor.