Seamus Heaney

Reviews / Votes

This admirable study possesses many virtues: comprehensiveness, clarity of argument and exposition, a series of provocative readings, and a strong sense of the existing scholarship on Heaney. It achieves and surpasses its goal of informing and educating both the beginner and the seasoned reader of Heaney's poetry. It is the best introduction to its subject, and I would recommend that everyone interested in Heaney's work should also read it. -- Joseph Heininger, Dominican University * Canadian Journal of Irish Studies * Russell's Introduction is laudable in its many achievements. Engaging, jargon-free, and well researched, it will be of great help to many students looking to get a clear and comprehensive view of the poet's career and poetry. Russell is clearly an astute reader of poetry, and his close readings are particularly enjoyable. The strength of Seamus Heaney: An Introduction. . .resides in its remarkable balance between the wealth of knowledge and details on the one hand, and the clarity of its presentation, argument, and style on the other. Russell's great admiration for the poet and enthusiasm for his object of study suffuse his writing with energy, making the volume eminently readable, as well as informative. -- Florence Impens * Irish University Review * Those just embarking on a study of the poetry of Heaney could find no more capable or enthusiastic guide than Russell, who is an astute reader of individual poems, yet one who strikes a balance between close reading and tracing the sweep of Heaney's poetry. -- ASHBY BLAND CROWDER * New Hibernia Review, Volume 20, Number 4 * This is a wide-ranging and comprehensive guide, but its particular strengths lie in its analyses of work from the extremes of Heaney's career. Russell is enlighteningly detailed about Heaney's recollections of his own early self; he is also among the first scholars to provide careful, knowledgeable readings of the last poems. Although this is an introduction, and perhaps aimed at undergraduate students, it is no mere compendium of existing interpretations. Because of Russell's deep familiarity with out-of-the-way interviews and archival material, there is plenty of fresh food for thought here. -- Adam Hanna * Year's Work in English Studies * This is an excellent overview of Seamus Heaney's art, from first to last - biographically grounded, contextually alert, perceptive and discriminating in its close readings. Richard Rankin Russell is an eminently readable and reliable guide to the work of one of the truly outstanding poets and literary critics of our time. -- Neil Corcoran, University of Liverpool Richard Rankin Russell brings an impressive combination of knowledge and skill to this steady, patient exploration of Seamus Heaney's poems. Thoughtfully and sympathetically in keeping with Heaney's own meditations on the art of poetry, his book is a valuable and comprehensive introduction to one of the most accomplished poetic careers of our time. -- Stephen Regan, Durham University