Seamus Heaney - Poems

"Where is the value in this? It gets to the point where it is entirely grotesque and offensive. There is literally a poem in this collection about killing puppies and kittens. I'm not easily offended, but I actually managed to find this collection of poems offensive. First, it was offensive in the way that I thought the subject matter was in disgusting taste, but secondly it was offensive in that people think someone should actually like this drivel. I have drunkenly scribbled random words on bar room napkins that made better poetry than this. That may be harsh criticism, and I have no intention of offending fans of this guy (though I'm surprised there are any), but I don't know that I have ever so strongly disliked any poet before."


"I like poetry, I really do. Like art, I don't know much about it, but I know what I like. I found most of the poems unappealing ... I was left feeling inadequate and confused. Why couldn't I understand what Mr Heaney was attempting to convey to me, the reader? I was left feeling that Mr Heaney writes for a more sophisticated audience than myself."


"Too many words I had no idea how to pronounce, and often what they meant ... Too many allusions and other references to Shakespeare and other bits of ancient high culture. Not exactly in a 'Hey, look at me. I'm educated' sense. Still too much for me to enjoy the poems. IT might make a great book to work through in a poetry class where the effort is meant to be expended.

Perhaps I simply don't want to work so hard at poetry at this stage in my poetic development."


"Having heard much ado about Seamus Heaney I thought I would try some of his stuff. Unfortunately, I had trouble seeing any value in it whatsoever. He relies too heavily on a structure that lends nothing to his poems. He doesn't write with any of the melody or lyricism of the great poets, and he doesn't have the awe-inspiring passionate writing of say a Ginsberg."


"What is so great about Seamus Heaney? These poems don't exactly rip my head or heart off. He mentions the Troubles of Ireland
only once in his poems. Maybe he should reexamine where his
is from. The Troubles are Protestant & Catholic War that seems
to go and on."

THANKS I'M EMAILING SEAMUS HEANEY NOW TO LET HIM KNOW THAT CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS ARE AT WAR IN IRELAND