Description
The New Oxford Book of Light Verse, edited by acclaimed novelist and poet Kingsley Amis, is an authoritative and curated anthology of British poetry designed to celebrate the underrated, highly technical tradition of humorous and satirical English writing.
Core Premises & Objectives
- To Raise a Smile: Amis’s explicit, main objective is to provide a witty, entertaining survey that elevates “light” poetry from an academic afterthought to an art form that raises a good-natured smile.
- The Modern Re-Definition: The book serves as a direct, reactionary counterpoint to W.H. Auden’s original 1938 Oxford Book of Light Verse. While Auden defined “light” as broad, democratic, or popular verse (including solemn folk songs and nursery rhymes), Amis filters his selection exclusively through a modern understanding of the word: verse that is lighter in heart, playful, and funny.
- The Scope: The anthology spans centuries of English verse, compiling more than 250 poems by some 80 authors. It charts the subversive historical lineage of comic poetry from early masters like William Shakespeare, Ben Jonson, and the Earl of Rochester, through 19th-century giants like Edward Lear, up to 20th-century peers such as Philip Larkin and Anthony Powell.
- Breadth of Formats: Rather than sticking to one style, the curation showcases the extreme structural discipline required to write comedy, collecting everything from biting political satire and vers de société (witty social poetry) to nonsense verse, epigrams, comic songs, and limericks.
Paperback. 347 Pages. Good Condition with some wear to The Spine.
