Women Poets, the Penguin Book of

by Carol Cosman

Book Overview

Collection of poetry written by women which spans 3500 years and forty different literary traditions.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0670778567
• ISBN13: 9780670778560
• Release Date: March 1979
• Publisher: Viking Books
• Length: 399 Pages
• Weight: 1.20 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Women Poets

I used this text in a university course and really loved it. Now, my daughter is using it as a supplement to her homeschooling literature course. This collection has a lot to offer, from the ancient texts to the 20th century and many poets in between, a literary glimpse into the development of our cultures. It is a great place to start!

Ancient to modern

This anthology contains the work of women poets from ancient times to the 20th century. The English versions of poems from other languages have been translated by a wide range of poets, scholars and professional translators. Some are in free verse, others in metrical and rhymed verse and some preserve the formal pattern of the originals. All of them succeed as fine poems in English. The poems are arranged chronologically, thereby revealing some worldwide trends such as the devotional poetry of the 12th to 16th centuries that was surprisingly universal, for example the work of the Indian poets Mahadeviyakka and Mira Bai, the Dutch mystic Hadewijch and Saint Theresa of Avila. The chapters are: The Ancient World, which includes work from ancient Egypt, the Song of Deborah, and poetry from Rome, China, India and Greece, including poems by Sappho. The Middle Period 600 - 1500, including Sanskrit, Arabic, Byzantine, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch and French poetry. The Renaissance and its Contemporaries 1500 - 1800, amongst which my favorites are Louise Labe of France, St Theresa, Mira Bai, Queen Elizabeth I, Sor Juana de la Cruz and Anne Bradstreet. The 19th Century, which includes Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. By far the most extensive section, The 20th Century includes poems by Anna Akhmatova (Russia), Amrita Pritam (India), Ingrid Jonker (South Africa: Afrikaans), Getrude Stein, Denise Levertov, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood and Stevie Smith. There is an appendix titled Acknowledgements To Authors, Translators and Publishers which is a bibliography of works in copyright, and the volume concludes with an index of authors.

Timeless Poetry

This splendid volume contains the work of many women poets from ancient times to the 20th century. The English versions of poems from other languages have been translated by a wide range of poets, scholars and professional translators. Some are in free verse, others in metrical and rhymed verse and others preserve the formal pattern of the originals. All of them succeed as fine poems in English. The poems are arranged chronologically, thereby demonstrating some worldwide trends such as the devotional poetry of the 12th to 16th centuries that was surprisingly universal, for example the work of the Indian poets Mahadeviyakka and Mira Bai, the Dutch mystic Hadewijch and Saint Theresa of Avila. The chapters are: The Ancient World, which includes work from ancient Egypt, the Song of Deborah, and poetry from Rome, China, India and Greece, including poems by Sappho. The Middle Period 600 - 1500, including Sanskrit, Arabic, Byzantine, Japanese, Chinese, Spanish, Dutch and French poetry. The Renaissance and its Contemporaries 1500 - 1800, amongst which my favorites are Louise Labe of France, St Theresa, Mira Bai, Queen Elizabeth I, Sor Juana de la Cruz and Anne Bradstreet. The 19th Century, which includes Emily Bronte, Emily Dickinson and Elizabeth Barrett Browning. By far the most extensive section, The 20th Century includes poems by Anna Akhmatova (Russia), Amrita Pritam (India), Ingrid Jonker (South Africa: Afrikaans), Getrude Stein, Denise Levertov, Anne Sexton, Sylvia Plath, Margaret Atwood and Stevie Smith. There is an appendix titled Acknowledgements To Authors, Translators and Publishers which is a bibliography of works in copyright, and the volume concludes with an index of authors.