Description
This volume surveys the life and work of the Scottish poet Ian Hamilton Finlay, who is best known for his extraordinary garden, Little Sparta, a unique 'poem of place' in which poetry, sculpture, and horticulture intersect. This book directs sustained attention to Finlay the verbal artist, revealing the full breadth and richness of his poetics. It illuminates the evolution from his early years of composing plays, stories and lyrical poems to his discovery of Concrete poetry and his emergence as a key figure in the international avant-garde of the 1960s.
About the Author
Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was an acclaimed Scottish poet and artist. Alec Finlay is an artist and poet.
Reviews
"Almost wherever Finlay leads us, in verse, prose, or garden, there is a pervasive wit and invention of great brilliance in evidence... Finlay's son Alec has edited together and introduced a hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay's writings, in prose, and truly beautiful-especially when surreal-verse. We should all be grateful to him." -- Andrew McNeillie Country Life "A hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay's writings, in prose, and truly beautiful-especially when surreal-verse." -- Andrew McNeillie Country Life "[Finlay's] temples are mock-historic edifices, but who are we to say that they are not sacred sites?" Booktryst "This welcome new volume ... is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject." -- Gerald Mangan Times Literary Supplement (TLS) "This welcome new volume, Selections, ranging from Finlay's first stories and plays to his final inscriptions and aphorisms, reminds us that most of his career consisted of unilateral declarations of independence, in a territory staked out by his own definitions and designs. It is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject-notably in the sixty-page introduction by Alec Finlay, the author's son. His portrait of his father ... manages to sound objective as well as affectionate. He clarifies the poet's debts to international and avant-garde movements, but invites us to recognize the irreducible Scottishness of his character and inspiration." -- Gerald Mangan Times Literary Supplement (TLS) "Scottish poet Ian Hmilton is one of the most influential artists of the late twentieth century... [Ian Hamilton Finlay: Selections] is an essential purchase for anyone interested in the poetry of the second half of the twentieth century... it's a delight." -- Alison Croggon Oyster Boy Review
Book Information
ISBN 9780520270589
Author Ian Hamilton Finlay
Format Hardback
Page Count 334
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 140mm * 23mm
About the Author
Ian Hamilton Finlay (1925-2006) was an acclaimed Scottish poet and artist. Alec Finlay is an artist and poet.
Reviews
"Almost wherever Finlay leads us, in verse, prose, or garden, there is a pervasive wit and invention of great brilliance in evidence... Finlay's son Alec has edited together and introduced a hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay's writings, in prose, and truly beautiful-especially when surreal-verse. We should all be grateful to him." -- Andrew McNeillie Country Life "A hugely enjoyable anthology of Finlay's writings, in prose, and truly beautiful-especially when surreal-verse." -- Andrew McNeillie Country Life "[Finlay's] temples are mock-historic edifices, but who are we to say that they are not sacred sites?" Booktryst "This welcome new volume ... is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject." -- Gerald Mangan Times Literary Supplement (TLS) "This welcome new volume, Selections, ranging from Finlay's first stories and plays to his final inscriptions and aphorisms, reminds us that most of his career consisted of unilateral declarations of independence, in a territory staked out by his own definitions and designs. It is full of revelations that cast new light on the subject-notably in the sixty-page introduction by Alec Finlay, the author's son. His portrait of his father ... manages to sound objective as well as affectionate. He clarifies the poet's debts to international and avant-garde movements, but invites us to recognize the irreducible Scottishness of his character and inspiration." -- Gerald Mangan Times Literary Supplement (TLS) "Scottish poet Ian Hmilton is one of the most influential artists of the late twentieth century... [Ian Hamilton Finlay: Selections] is an essential purchase for anyone interested in the poetry of the second half of the twentieth century... it's a delight." -- Alison Croggon Oyster Boy Review
Book Information
ISBN 9780520270589
Author Ian Hamilton Finlay
Format Hardback
Page Count 334
Imprint University of California Press
Publisher University of California Press
Weight(grams) 544g
Dimensions(mm) 210mm * 140mm * 23mm
