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Average Customer Rating:

Perfection in book form.

Customer Rating:

I confess to picking this book up because I saw Stephen Fry's name on the spine. But it was not fan-ship that made me unable to put it down again. I had no particular interest in poetry when I started reading it. Over the years I had written a few scribbled poems here and there, but that's as far as it went. This book has changed all that. Since reading this book I have bought, read, and loved poetry for the first time in my life. I can actually appreciate what I'm reading now instead of being bored. I have also begun writing with so much more satisfaction than before. There's something empowering about knowing the "rules", rather than just floundering along trying to make things rhyme. Whether you choose to use them or not is up to you, he encourages you to try everything your own way, but whatever you decide, it's now a *choice* rather than just not knowing any better. The text is written as if he is speaking to you. It's all very light and conversational, but it never feels like he's dumbing it down. You get all the technical jargon explained and used in its proper place, but in such a way that it actually makes *sense*. He will explain the root of a word perhaps (amphibrach - amphi: on both sides, brach: short. A foot with short stresses on both sides of a heavy stress.) which makes things stick in my head all the more. Instead of being bombarded by pompous long words, they're all taken apart and you realise that they are there for more than just confusing us mere mortals. The meaning becomes clearer the more the words are used, and the first time you read something like, "Most people would say that limericks are certainly anapaestic in nature and that amphibrachs belong only in classical quantitive verse," and realise that you understood every bit of it, and not only that, but you have an opinion on the topic... well, it's a very good feeling. It's also the first how-to writing book that has actually made me laugh out loud. His humour is transfused throughout the book, making it a highly enjoyable read. He never takes himself overly seriously, but at the same time obviously cares deeply for his subject and is writing to share it with others. I love this book very very much and have recommended it to friends, who have bought it and loved it as much as I do. I'm living in hope that he might write more books like this!

Narrative form of explanation exceeds all expectations

Customer Rating:

As has been already mentioned by many people and (some) critics. Mr.Fry has this delightful ability to convey the more sophisticated concepts in his own unique and bohemian style. It's as though he is constantly with you at every single step you take towards the "secretive" chambers of poetry. Much of his mode of instruction is his own understanding and takes on matters. For readers unaccustomed or irreverent towards his sense of humour (and I can see why) - this book may come across as though taught by an unschooled self-taught yet a talented, passionate boy who has a refreshing take on things who tries too hard to come across as smart, casual and formal at the same time. Regardless, it's a worthy attempt, one that should be encouraged and welcomed and allowed to veneer in unorthodoxy.

Clever, witty, but...	Customer Rating:
Clever, but very opinionated. Its anti freeverse agenda makes it the Daily Mail of poetry books. I hope that would-be poets will balance their reading diet with a few less reactionary tomes.

If you only ever read one book on poetry..... make it this one

Customer Rating:

'Stephen Fry' is a pretty reliable brand: he writes stylishly, performs wonderfully, and usually combines wit, wisdom and knowledge in a unique package. I had some doubts that he could work his magic on what is essentially a teaching text about the form and structure of verse - but I should have trusted. His enthusiasm for poetry shines through every page, and he sverves so swiftly and deftly from exposition to wit to analysis to exercise to opinionated rant to respectful homage, and to much else, that I found myself almost cheering his honesty, directness and clarity. He is a wonderful populariser who manages to mark his teaching with his own personality and yet respects the sources of his knowledge. The exercises are fun and truly helpful (he really understands that we learn best by doing), and the analysis he offers is wonderfully wide-ranging. It takes a certain kind of genius and cheek to productively compare Hopkins, Hardy and McGonagall's 'The Tay Bridge Disaster' within a few pages, but Fry manages it. He also cheekily, but effectively, does much of his teaching by writing samples and explanations in verse. Just occasionally Fry "luxuriates in the exuberance of his own verbosity" (as apparently Disraeli did) and goes on a fraction too much. His forward is ten pages long and basically tells us that poetry deserves its own 'how to' book. But these moments are rare and others may think them part of his charm. Also, although the book has an excellent glossary and a proper reading list, I would have welcomed an index - this little primer is good enough to continue using as a reference work. It has certainly persuaded me to return to poetry books that have been gathering dust. And it really should be on the reading list of every would-be English Literature student! Fry can slip from the sublime to the vulgar and back again with an ease which makes him a most endearing teacher. When you buy it, make sure you also purchase a new notebook, some pencils and a rubber. Fry's homework is hard to resist.

Excellent book

Customer Rating:

I bought this book because I love Stephen Fry's writing, not specifically to learn about poetry. Working my way through it has been a wonderful experience. It is written in a style that feels like a personal tutorial, and the concepts (especially the section on metre) are explained very clearly and with humour. I have been pleasantly surprised at how my writing has developed by doing the exercises, and my appreciation of poetry has deepened. Along with his many other talents, Stephen Fry is a gifted teacher on this subject and I have definitely benefitted by taking this journey with him. I would recommend this book to anyone.