The Music of Time: Poetry in the Twentieth Century

By John Burnside

A Financial Times Book of the Year

Though we might not realise it, our collective memory of the twentieth century was defined by the poets who lived and wrote in it. At every significant turning point we find them, pen in hand, fingers poised at the typewriter, ready to distil the essence of the moment, from the muddy wastes of the Western front to the vast reckoning that came with the end of empire.

This is the first and only history of twentieth century poetry, by the acclaimed poet, author and academic John Burnside. Bringing together poets from times and places as diverse as Tsarist Russia, 1960's America and Ireland at the height of the Troubles, The Music of Time reveals how poets engaged with and shaped the most important issues of their times - and were in their turn affected by their context and dialogue with each other. This is a major work of scholarship, that on every page bears witness to the transformative beauty and power of poetry.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Profile Books
• Release date: Oct 3, 2019
• ISBN: 9781782832133

John Burnside

After working in computer systems analysis for a decade, John Burnside became a full-time writer in 1994. John has published 14 books of poetry, and has won the Geoffrey Faber Prize, the Whitbread Poetry Prize, the Petrarca Preis and, most recently, the Forward and T.S. Eliot Prizes for his poetry. He has also published eight novels and a memoir. He is Professor of English at the University of St Andrews.

Reviews for The Music of Time

[antao-3 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I've always loved poetry (in English, Portuguese, German, you name it), and a few years back made it a new year’s resolution to improve my knowledge and appreciation of the form. So in 2021 where better to start than this book, having long admired John Burnside's essays, nature writing, and, in particular, his wonderful three part memoir?This is no dry anthology, each chapter is loosely devoted to poems on different subject matter - nature, love, work, war, religion, etc. (the "dailiness of life" is a recurrent theme) - and the author takes a handful of his favourite works to explain the techniques, political background and biographical notes behind the poetry. The result is a fascinating, extensively researched masterclass on all aspects of twentieth century poetry. Its sources are cosmopolitan and the reader is introduced to many less famous poets from all over the world. Burnside's writing is clear, with many learned digressions and some autobiographical notes to give the book an added warmth. His devotion to the form is infectious. On completing it, I immediately went back to read it again, there being so much wonderful content to absorb. One of my books of the year by a country mile, and highly recommended for anyone wanting to explore the world of poetry.Couldn’t put it down. It was so beautifully written, so tragic and so shocking. I bawled my eyes out for pages at a time. A wonderful, wonderful book.