Anthologies of Time and Space

Beginning of article

People who know poets or who like to talk about poets, often say that their world is particularly malicious, begrudging or competitive. It's true that this is part of the atmosphere, as it is part of any world in which people are forced into comparison, into competition for recognition, let alone survival. The world of poetry is particularly small, obscure and impoverished so perhaps such ill-feeling is magnified. Yet this may also be why poets depend upon and nurture one another. They are one another's advocates, editors, promoters, allies, critics and, yes, even friends.

Dead poets, foreign poets, the overlooked and forgotten are being reincarnated and revived all the time. Every year there are new versions, translations, anthologies and introductions that show poetry feeding, instead of eating itself. Some might think this insularity corrupting, but there are sadly few who read poetry with a …