Penguin Classics: Poetry

One of the greatest epics in Western literature, The Iliad recounts the story of the Trojan wars. This timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods battling amidst devastation and destruction, as it moves to its tragic conclusion. In his introduction, Bernard Knox observes that although the violence of The Iliad is grim and relentless,...

Robert Fagles's stunning modern-verse translation—available at last in our black-spine classics line. Soon to be a major motion picture directed by Christopher Nolan. A Penguin Classic. The Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey through life. In the myths and legends that are retold here, renowned translator Robert Fagles has captured the energy and poetry of Homer's original in...

A wonderful edition of Herbert's poetry, edited by his acclaimed biographer John Drury, and including elegant new translations of his Latin verse by Victoria Moul. George Herbert wrote, but never published, some of the very greatest English poetry, recording in an astonishing variety of forms his inner experiences of grief, recovery, hope, despair, anger, fulfilment and—above all else—love. This volume,...

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. The Survivor presents a selection of poetry from the author of If This is a Man and The Periodic Table. "Back, away from here, drowned people, go. I haven't stolen anyone's place."

"I am large, I contain multitudes" A Penguin Classic When Walt Whitman self-published his Leaves of Grass in July 1855, he altered the course of literary history. One of the greatest masterpieces of American literature, it redefined the rules of poetry while describing the soul of the American character.Throughout his great career, Whitman continuously revised, expanded, and republished Leaves of...

Layli and Majnun is the Persian epic that inspired Eric Clapton's unforgettable love song "Layla" and that Lord Byron called "the Romeo and Juliet of the East," presented here in a masterly new translation. A Penguin Classic This iconic love story of the Middle East, written by a twelfth-century Persian poet who has been compared to Shakespeare for his subtlety,...

From the award-winning translator of The Iliad and The Odyssey comes a brilliant new translation of Virgil's great epic. Fleeing the ashes of Troy, Aeneas, Achilles' mighty foe in the Iliad, begins an incredible journey to fulfil his destiny as the founder of Rome. His voyage will take him through stormy seas, entangle him in a tragic love affair, and...

Now in paperback, a wonderful anthology of wedding poems, filled with surprising, curious, unorthodox and charming poems about love and the public commitment to love. For the many thousands of readers who each year go through the complex mix of thrill and trauma that is the planning of a marriage ceremony, Laura Barber's anthology is the answer to a prayer....

Tennyson's version of the life of King Arthur Tennyson had a life-long interest in the legend of King Arthur and after the huge success of his poem Morte d'Arthur, he built on the theme with this series of twelve poems, written in two periods of intense creativity over nearly twenty years. Idylls of the King traces the story of Arthur's...

Fifty new books at €1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. My heart brims with billows and minnows of shadows and silver Beautiful, brutal, strange and lovely — this is Lorca reborn, in a selection of previously unpublished pieces and masterful new translations.

Fifty new books at £1 each, celebrating the pioneering spirit of the Penguin Modern Classics series, from inspiring essays to groundbreaking fiction and poetry. Death the Barber The alphabet of the trees is fading in the song of the leaves Filled with bright, unforgettable images, the deceptively simple work of William Carlos Williams revolutionised American verse, and made him one...

Chaucer's tale of fragile love against the backdrop of war Set against the epic backdrop of the battle of Troy, Troilus and Criseyde is an evocative story of love and loss. When Troilus, the son of Priam, falls in love with the beautiful Criseyde, he is able to win her heart with the help of his cunning uncle Pandarus, and...

Legends from the Ancient North brings together some of the magical texts that most influenced Tolkien. 'They summoned their friends, readied their horses, and prepared their helmets, shields, swords, coats of mail.' J.R.R. Tolkien spent much of his life studying, translating, and teaching the great epic stories of northern Europe, filled with heroes, dragons, trolls, dwarves, and magic. He was...

An essential guide to the life and work of one of America's most controversial writers. Advertisements for Myself is a comprehensive collection of the best of Norman Mailer's essays, stories, interviews, and journalism from the Forties and Fifties, linked by anarchic and riotous autobiographical commentary. Laying bare the heart of a witty, belligerent, and vigorous writer, this manifesto of Mailer's...

A landmark collection of poems from the author of Cider with Rosie, as evocative and poignant as his prose. 'If ever I saw blessing in the air I see it now in this still early day...' Laurie Lee is beloved for his writing on a lost rural world. His evocative poetry springs from his deep connection with nature, as he...

The landmark poetry collection that transformed 20th-century Arabic poetry, in a brilliant new translation by Kareem James Abu-Zeid and Ivan Eubanks. Written in the early 1960s by Adonis, 'the most eloquent spokesman and explorer of Arabic modernity' (Edward Said), Songs of Mihyar the Damascene is widely considered to be the apex of the modernist poetry movement in the Arab world,...

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary Woman much missed, how you call to me, call to me...

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary 'Ye Ice-Falls! Ye that from the mountain's brow Adown enormous ravines slope amain -...' A selection of Coleridge's poems, including This Lime-Tree Bower My Prison and Frost at Midnight. Introducing Little Black Classics - 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range and...

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary Three Tang Dynasty Poets 'Can I bear to leave these blue hills?'

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary. 'Those husbands that I had, Three of them were good and two were bad. The three that I call "good" were rich and old...' One of the most bawdy, entertaining, and popular stories from The Canterbury Tales. Introducing Little Black Classics - 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday....

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary. The Old Nurse's Story by Elizabeth Gaskell is a chilling tale of mystery and suspense. Set against the backdrop of a cold, desolate landscape, the story immerses readers in a haunting atmosphere, where even the weather plays a sinister role. 'Even in the stillness of that dead-cold weather,...

The Eve of St Agnes by John Keats is part of the Little Black Classics collection – a new series introduced to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary. "Hoodwink'd in faery fancy..." Immerse yourself in the enchanting and fantastical narratives crafted by one of the most revered romantic poets, John Keats, as you explore this timeless classic.

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary 'All those excessive, useless regrets...'

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary. On the Beach at Night Alone by Walt Whitman features an evocative selection taken from his renowned work, Leaves of Grass. "All nations, colors, barbarisms, civilizations, languages..."

Lips too Chilled is part of the Little Black Classics series, celebrating Penguin's 80th birthday. 'Nothing more lonely -'

The pioneering nineteenth-century poet's best-known and most darkly imaginative verses on love, death, and loss. Goblin Market: 'She kissed and kissed her with a hungry mouth.' A selection of Rossetti's most famous poems, from the hallucinatory Goblin Market to In the Bleak Midwinter. Introducing Little Black Classics: 80 books for Penguin's 80th birthday. Little Black Classics celebrate the huge range...

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary I truly thought I'd never make it back. Experience Dante's vivid journey through the netherworld in Circles of Hell, a harrowing exploration of the infernal landscapes and the tormented souls that inhabit them. This classic work is part of the famous Little Black Classics series, perfect for those...

Little Black Classics - the new series to celebrate Penguin's 80th anniversary 'Tonight he noticed how the women's eyes Passed from him to the strong men that were whole.'