The Book of Irish American Poetry

This is the first major anthology of Irish American poetry. It breaks new ground by collecting for the first time the work of over two hundred Irish American poets, as well as other American poets whose work enjoys Irish American themes. The Book of Irish American Poetry draws together the best and most representative poetry by Irish Americans and about Irish America that has been written over the past three hundred years. Daniel Tobin begins with poetry of the "populist period" (poets such as John Boyle O'Reilly), and moves to the work of Irish Americans who have made an indelible imprint on American poetry: Robinson Jeffers, Marianne Moore, Louise Bogan, John Berryman, Thomas McGrath, Robert Creeley, Frank O'Hara, Ted Berrigan, Galway Kinnell, and Alan Dugan, among others. The anthology concludes with distinctive poems by contemporary Irish Americans whose work is likely to stand the test of time, such as Tess Gallagher, Brendan Galvin, and Brigit Pegeen Kelly. The Book of Irish American Poetry recovers many poets who have been forgotten and places already notable figures in American poetry within the context of a distinctively Irish American tradition. This important work of literary scholarship will dominate the field for years to come.