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Villanelles (Everyman's Library POCKET POETS) Hardcover – 30 Mar. 2012

4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

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With its intricate rhyme scheme and dance-like pattern of repeated lines, its marriage of recurrence and surprise, the villanelle has fascinated poets ever since it was introduced almost two centuries ago. Many well-known names in the past have tried their hand at it, and the villanelle is enjoying a revival among writers today. The poems collected here range from the classic villanelles of the nineteenth century - by Thomas Hardy, Edwin Arlington Robinson, Oscar Wilde and others - to such famous and memorable examples as Dylan Thomas's 'Do not go gentle into that good night,' Elizabeth Bishop's 'One Art' and Sylvia Plath's 'Mad Girl's Love Song'. Here too are the cutting-edge works of contemporary poets, including Seamus Heaney, Paul Muldoon, Sherman Alexie and Rita Dove, demonstrating the dazzling variety that can be found within the parameters of a single strict poetic form.
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  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Everyman (30 Mar. 2012)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1841597929
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1841597928
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 11.5 x 2.1 x 16.5 cm
  • Customer reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 49 ratings

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4.7 out of 5 stars
49 global ratings

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Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 9 March 2014
    I can't imagine that you're thinking about buying this book if you don't know what a villanelle is so I won't offer an explanation. So given that you're probably here because you're interested in villanelles and want to read more of them, I just want to tell you that you're in the right place. This is an excellent selection, there's something here for everyone.

    The book is split into four sections. The first "The Villanelle Tradition" contains 21 classics: Thomas Hardy, Edith Thomas on up to W.H. Auden, Dylan Thomas and Sylvia Plath. The next, and by far the largest section is "Contemporary Villanelles" contains around 110-120 modern villanelles (I made it 116 but I may be out by one or two), I won't even attempt to list authors. Next come "Villanelles about Villanelles" 14 self-referential poems, and finally 30 "Variations on the Villanelle" where you get to see how the form can be played around with, including non-rhyming villanelles, villanelles which different numbers of stanzas and such wonderful inventions as a reverse villanelle, a haiku villanelle and a terzanelle (villanelle crossed with terza rima).

    My only real criticism is the size of the book. This is a pocket-book. Not really small enough to fit in most pockets but smaller than your average book. Most of the poems fit just fine, but when poems have slightly longer lines, some or all of the lines have to be broken where the poet didn't intend them to be broken. I personally would have preferred a larger book instead.
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  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2014
    I am thoroughly enjoying this little book. By that I mean I keep going to back to the poems, even though I have read them before. As in any book there are a few that just don't "do it" for me, but not because they're bad poems, they're just not to my taste. I'm at university and learning about forms at the moment, and this has been invaluable.
    My favourite is The Topiarist Has Been Called Away.
    It never gets boring, even though they are all the same format, and you can dip in and out easily.
    A lovely book for anyone who likes poetry of any sort.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 January 2015
    A lovely Christmas gift, greatly enjoyed by the owner. I just wish I hadn't given it to him late in the evening as he was up all night reading it,
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 January 2014
    My wife (who is a poet) loves it. However, she is a bit of an academic so don'nt blame me.
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 22 September 2017
    Quick, great, fine
  • Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 2 November 2014
    Thank you

Top reviews from other countries

  • Catherine
    4.0 out of 5 stars Love em. Love em
    Reviewed in Canada on 12 October 2017
    Love em . Love em. Now that I have read more of the book....oh !!!! So many - they cheat ! They are not true villanelles !! And it really really annoys me. Hurts me, to read them. I write them . I am a writer and if the ' writers ' just thought a little longer they may find the correct rhyming word. Why would so , so many be published. It's awful. I'll fill the book for them !
  • Sonneteer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great anthology
    Reviewed in the United States on 15 June 2012
    Villanelles are sly and pleasing poems that employ a nice circularity, with two lines repeated cleverly throughout the poem. Famous villanelles include Dylan Thomas' "Do Not Go Gentle" and Elizabeth Bishop's "One Art." This collection dishes up many more; some are classic but most are written by living poets. The villanelles range from the serious to light and are, indeed, astonishing in their variety. Though one could quibble about a couple of the choices, most of the poems are just great. High moments come from Marilyn Hacker, Rhina P. Espaillat, Kate Bernadette Benedict, Taylor Graham, Marilyn Nelson, C. K. Williams, and many more.
  • JHammons
    5.0 out of 5 stars wonderful collection
    Reviewed in the United States on 27 September 2021
    A very useful book for exploring the form of the villanelle.
  • David A. Sermersheim
    5.0 out of 5 stars "Villanelles", a reaction.
    Reviewed in the United States on 11 October 2013
    Villanelles fascinate me. Their form is almost magical, if not bewitching in its one-line refrains, inserted when you least expect them.
    This volume is excellent, not as a collection of examples, but as a compilation of lyrical invention that keeps opening up each time you read any one of the poems. I'm very glad Everyman published these poems, for one doesn't find the form unless he happens to stumble upon it in random collections.
  • Litnivorous
    5.0 out of 5 stars More here than you think!
    Reviewed in the United States on 22 August 2015
    Knowing the book is small in size like the other books in the Pocket Poets series, you'd think there are fewer poems inside, but there are a surprising number of poems from a very diverse company of poets. I used this book to teach a course on Villanelles and found it a fantastic and comprehensive resource. Especially valuable is the final section on Villanelle Variations.