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British and Irish Poets: A Biographical Dictionary 449-2006

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Poets are representatives of a time and an age, and what they write about reflects the values, attitudes, experiences, hopes and dreams of that slice of time. Thus poets and their poems are an essential part of history, for on looking back through their poems we glimpse our cultural, national, social, economic, religious and military history. We witness the rise and fall of monarchs and the rise and decline of The British Empire, and the birth of nations who have won their independence, such as Ireland and America and the African States, and many other countries
Through their poems we can trace the intricate weaving of the threads that make Scotland, England, Ireland and Wales what they are in the first years of the 21st century. Through the poems in the 1500 year periods of this book we can trace the struggle for personal and national independence; of a rugged insistence to keep alive dialects and languages that were destined for obscurity now flourishing; and a determination to embrace change, as we become a multi-racial, multi-cultural society.
We can revel in the pride of great achievements and victories and feel the disgrace of the evil acts and tyranny portrayed by some poems, or lose ourselves in the sights, sounds and smells evoked by others. The poets of the 21st century write different poetry from their poetic ancestors, yet what they have to say and how they say it is no less important, and in years to come will form an important slice of current society. And throughout poetry we can look toward the future. Those are the things that make poetry more than just a pleasant read; they are part and parcel of our very life.

THE STRUCTURE OF THE BOOK

Each entry is made up of:
1. A short biography:
2. Some of the poet's main publications:
3. Some of the poems (but no verses);
4. A list of sources to which the poems refer.

The poems chosen say something about the poet and his or her range of interests. The aim of each entry is to give information; to stimulate curiosity and provide a resource for further study of poets and poetry. Some of the poets are well-known, the names of others have long-since passed out of the current usage; and others, particularly those who write in the vernacular, or in Scots, Gaelic, Irish or Welsh, deserve to be known to a wider audience.