Lyric/Anti-lyric: essays on contemporary poetry

Spring 2001

Paperback 288 pages

Non-Fiction

Writer as Critic

Lyric/Anti-lyric: essays on contemporary poetry begins with Douglas Barbour's well known essay by that title, and includes a number of recent essays on the poetry of various Canadian poets, as well as some Australian and New Zealand poets, and one long essay on the work of American poet Susan Howe. Since first visiting Australia and New Zealand in 1984, Barbour has developed a growing interest in the poetry of both countries, which share a wide range of colonial and postcolonial experiences with Canada. He has always been interested in US poetry in the Pound-Williams line, and this has led to his recent work on Howe. Lyric/Anti-lyric: essays on contemporary poetry brings together the best of Barbour's criticism over the past two decades.