On Seamus Heaney

A timely perspective on the Northern Irish troubles as experienced and responded to in Heaney's work. ---Fiona O'Connor, Morning Star If a book on poetry can teach, Roy Foster's new book about Ireland's Nobel Prize poet Seamus Heaney shares it all. ---Ronn Hartviksen, Chronicle Journal A very good 'short book essay' on one of my favorite poets. ---Tyler Cowen, Marginal Revolution More than any other writing on Heaney you actually get a sense of Heaney's own personality, his charisma, his friendliness, his warmth, his humour and it's a hugely respectful biography in that way because you get the sense of Heaney's own words about himself that have not been made public before and you've got the impression, at least, of being in his company and that's one of the things I was hoping for in the book and it certainly comes across. ---Peter Mackay, BBC Radio 3 'Free Thinking' RF Foster's painstakingly researched and affectionately penned On Seamus Heaney offers an illuminating bite-sized refresher course on one of our greatest literary talents. ---David Roy, Irish News As one would expect of Foster, the suavest Irish historian of his generation, the handling of Irish contexts . . . is impeccable. ---David Wheatley, Literary Review Writing with the restraint of the professional academic but with all the vim of a youthful enthusiast, R. F. Foster has published On Seamus Heaney, his take on the life and writings of one of Ireland's famous poets . . . Foster has captured the young Heaney in a manner that readers can grasp fully, and the description is written in elevated language that is appropriate to the status of its subject. . . . I recommend this book very highly indeed. ---Ian Lipke, Queensland Reviewers Collective [An] excellent new study. ---James Parker, The Atlantic Foster colours in around the Heaney-shaped effigy that we all know [making] this work engrossing. . . . [Foster's] attention to detail and that ability to give a full picture of the man parallel to charting the punctuation points of his writing achievements are undeniably impressive. ---Hilary A. White, Irish Independent [A] succinct but insightful critical biography that puts the poetry of Seamus Heaney (1939-2013) firmly in the context of his life and times . . . This reflective and incisive study works both as an academic research aid and as an accessible primer for general poetry readers. * Publishers Weekly * Roy Foster brings long-felt passion and measured scholarship to his welcome analysis of the poetry of Seamus Heaney in this neat hardback. * RTE * Roy Foster's insightful and accessible study of Seamus Heaney deftly intertwines a fluent account of the poet's life with illuminating analyses of his work. ---Cliona Ni Riordain, Irish Times