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In this critical study of the poetry of Seamus Heaney, Warren
Hope finds a sharp disparity between the size and nature of
the Irish poet's reputation and the quality of his verse.
Hope argues that Heaney is at his best when he has something
moving to say and allows himself to say it in personal, often
awkward language that reads as if it has been compelled. On
the other hand, Heaney too often writes when he has little
or nothing to say and in language that is contrived, artificial,
the result of ambition or professionalism rather than inspiration.
The study constitutes a bracing re-evaluation of one of the
greatest reputations in contemporary poetry.
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