The most important Irish poet of the postwar era, Seamus Heaney rose to prominence as his native Northern Ireland descended into sectarian violence. A national figure at a time when nationality was deeply contested, Heaney also won international acclaim, culminating in the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1995. In On Seamus Heaney, leading Irish historian and literary critic R. F. Foster gives an incisive and eloquent account of the poet and his work against the background of a changing Ireland.
Drawing on unpublished drafts and correspondence, Foster provides illuminating and personal interpretations of Heaney鈥檚 work. Though a deeply charismatic figure, Heaney refused to don the mantle of public spokesperson, and Foster identifies a deliberate evasiveness and creative ambiguity in his poetry. In this, and in Heaney鈥檚 evocation of a disappearing rural Ireland haunted by political violence, Foster finds parallels with the other towering figure of Irish poetry, W. B. Yeats. Foster also discusses Heaney鈥檚 cosmopolitanism, his support for dissident poets abroad, and his increasing focus in his later work on death and spiritual transcendence. Above all, Foster examines how Heaney created an extraordinary connection with an exceptionally wide readership, giving him an authority and power unique among contemporary writers.
Combining a vivid account of Heaney鈥檚 life and a compelling reading of his entire oeuvre, On Seamus Heaney extends our understanding of the man as it enriches our appreciation of his poetry.
Awards and Recognition
- One of the Financial Times' Best Books of 2020: Critics' Picks
"Foster鈥檚 characteristic brio brings Heaney to life again. . . . On Seamus Heaney, with its abundant account of his life, its illuminating analysis of his work, and the generous quotations from favourite poems, should find a place on bookshelves all over Ireland and beyond."鈥擟l铆ona N铆 R铆ord谩in, Irish Times
"A sparkling memorial to an utterly singular poet."鈥擲ebastian Barry, Sydney Morning Herald
"[An] excellent new study."鈥擩ames Parker, The Atlantic
"A compact but comprehensive guide."鈥擲eamus Perry, London Review of Books 鈥嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧��
"This exploration of Heaney鈥檚 oeuvre, and the tumultuous times that inspired it, is an immensely enjoyable step towards giving Ireland鈥檚 great poet his due."鈥擬aria Crawford, Financial Times
"There will be longer, fatter biographical and critical books about Seamus Heaney, but none will be better written, more knowledgeable, more generously understanding than this one."鈥擜nne Chisholm, The Tablet 鈥嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧�嬧��
"One of the most elegant works of criticism I have ever read."鈥擠avid Mason, Hudson Review
"Engrossing. . . . Undeniably impressive."鈥擧ilary A. White, Irish Independent
"Foster brings long-felt passion and measured scholarship to his welcome analysis of the poetry of Seamus Heaney."鈥�RTE
"A concise, meticulously researched account. . . . Foster couples forensic attention to detail with engaging prose."鈥擳ara McEvoy, Times Literary Supplement
"More than [in] any other writing on Heaney, you actually get a sense of Heaney鈥檚 own personality, his charisma, his friendliness, his warmth, his humour and it鈥檚 a hugely respectful biography in that way because you get the sense of Heaney鈥檚 own words about himself that have not been made public before and you鈥檝e got the impression, at least, of being in his company and that鈥檚 one of the things I was hoping for in the book and it certainly comes across."鈥擯eter Mackay, BBC Radio 3 "Free Thinking"
"As one would expect of Foster, the suavest Irish historian of his generation, the handling of Irish contexts . . . is impeccable."鈥擠avid Wheatley, Literary Review
"Foster's painstakingly researched and affectionately penned On Seamus Heaney offers an illuminating bite-sized refresher course on one of our greatest literary talents."鈥擠avid Roy, Irish News
"[A] succinct but insightful critical biography that puts the poetry of Seamus Heaney (1939鈥�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."鈥�Publishers Weekly
"[A] careful and attentive poetic biography."鈥擯eter Craven, Sydney Morning Herald
"A brief and brilliant study that weaves together the life and work of the Nobel Prize-winning Irish poet."鈥擲unil Khilnani, Open Magazine
"The joy of this book emanates from the sense of intimacy that Foster captures in each epoch, enabling readers to get a sense of Heaney鈥檚 personality. . . . This book is an essential complement to any study of Heaney鈥檚 poetry, as it creates a more comprehensive understanding of how life informs art."鈥�Choice
"A timely perspective on the Northern Irish troubles as experienced and responded to in Heaney鈥檚 work."鈥擣iona O'Connor, Morning Star
"If a book on poetry can teach, Roy Foster鈥檚 new book about Ireland鈥檚 Nobel Prize poet Seamus Heaney shares it all."鈥擱onn Hartviksen, Chronicle Journal
"It is difficult to imagine how a brief, general, fair-minded introduction to Heaney might be bettered . . . . The book is more literary criticism than biography, although it effortlessly combines the two so that it鈥檚 difficult to say where one starts and the other ends, which suits Heaney down to the ground. Foster鈥檚 trademark elegance, clarity, and skill in shaping a narrative are to the fore, and he remains a more lucid and nuanced reader of Irish poetry than many specialized critics."鈥擜lan Gillis, Irish University 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鈥檚 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."鈥擨an Lipke, Queensland Reviewers Collective
"[On Seamus Heaney] adds welcome layers to our understanding of Heaney as a poet and of the kind of public intellectual who attains moral standing in the wider world. . . . I hope that others who care about our literary inheritance will use On Seamus Heaney as a standard for writing about writing. Its combination of meticulousness and soul can only enrich our understanding."鈥擠enise Provost, Somerville Times
"One of the finest books to date on Irish poet and Nobel laureate Seamus Heaney."鈥擠aniel Picker, New Ulster
"A very good 'short book essay' on one of my favorite poets."鈥擳yler Cowen, Marginal Revolution
"[Foster鈥檚] knowledge of Heaney is nothing short of encyclopedic. . . . An excellent roadmap for readers."鈥擩ohn Austin Gray, Fare Forward
"It鈥檚 not the done thing to choose a book of which I鈥檓 the dedicatee: even so, RF Foster鈥檚 On Seamus Heaney, which is short but runs deep, was for me the richest food for the spirit in 2020.
"鈥擩an Dalley, Financial Times
"R. F. Foster has herein written an altogether focused, and most vivid account of quite possibly the most important Irish poet of the postwar era."鈥擠avid Marx, David Marx Book Reviews
"Roy Foster, in this perceptive and astute book, concentrates on the development of Seamus Heaney as a poet. He writes with care about the political and personal background, but the book's great achievement is Foster's sympathetic and intelligent analysis of the poems themselves and the imagination that created them."鈥擟olm T贸ib铆n, author of Brooklyn and Mad, Bad, Dangerous to Know: The Fathers of Wilde, Yeats, and Joyce
鈥淎 remarkably achieved yet compact reading of Seamus Heaney鈥檚 work, this is a wonderfully sustained, elegantly structured interpretation of a great poet. Readers will appreciate the sensitivity of the analyses and the way they are integrated into a deftly constructed narrative of Heaney鈥檚 career.鈥濃�擭icholas Grene, Trinity College, Dublin
鈥淎 brief, sharp, and wonderfully detailed account of Seamus Heaney, one of the most important poets of the past hundred years. R. F. Foster is both a distinguished historian of Ireland and an astute and subtle literary critic. His masterful book brings us close to a writer who far too often is held at a polite, admiring distance.鈥濃�擬ichael Wood, Princeton University
