Introduced by Poet Laureate Carol Ann Duffy, this anthology is a celebration of poetry and the passion it inspires. It gathers together more than 300 of our favourite poems, spanning over 400 years.
Love Poems (signed edition)
Illustrated by Mikki Lee
Selected and introduced by Imtiaz Dharker
Romantic, passionate, unrequited, lost and embittered: infinite expressions of love are collected in Love Poems; a unique Folio Society edition selected by the ‘world poet laureate’ Imtiaz Dharker. This special collector’s edition is signed by Imtiaz Dharker and Mikki Lee.
£150.00
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‘If there were to be a World Laureate, then for me the role could only be filled by Imtiaz Dharker.’
- Carol Ann Duffy
Author of six books, acclaimed British poet, artist and filmmaker Imtiaz Dharker is fondly referred to as the ‘world poet laureate’, such is her global renown. For this exclusive new Folio Society anthology of more than 150 poems, Dharker researched and collected the work of ancient and contemporary voices from around the world, both widely and lesser known. Traversing culture, language and time, Love Poems is a wonderfully eclectic selection of emotive human responses to love through the medium of poetry, from Rumi, Shakespeare and Christina Rosetti to Philip Larkin, Michael Ondaatje and Carol Ann Duffy. Korean-American illustrator and designer Mikki Lee won the prestigious Book Illustration Competition (a collaboration between The Folio Society and House of Illustration). Here, she celebrates the cultural diversity of the collection through a series of highly stylised and dreamlike artworks, while a metallic blocked-cloth binding, textured Cloud Dragon paper endpapers, stunning blocked slipcase and twin ribbon markers complete this beautiful edition, perfect for gifting or adding to your own collection.
Bound in blocked denim
Set in Minion
264 pages
Frontispiece and 7 integrated colour illustrations
2 ribbon markers
Textured ‘Cloud Dragon’ endpapers
Coloured tops
Blocked slipcase
10˝ x 6¾˝
‘Passing stranger! you do not know how longingly I look upon you.’
- from ‘To a Stranger’ by Walt Whitman
From tempestuous and passionate to subtle and pensive, the wide-ranging voices and experiences in Love Poems will resonate with readers of all ages. Dharker has skilfully woven a narrative through her selection, with poems loosely grouped around themes rather than arranged according to geography or timeline. The ebb and flow of style, length, era and language is refreshing and fluid, as love is portrayed in myriad ways. There are chance encounters in Walt Whitman’s ’To a Stranger’ and Vladimír Holan’s ‘Meeting in a Lift’; passionate love is portrayed in Emily Dickinson’s ‘Wild nights – Wild nights!’ and Petronius’ ‘Good god, what a night that was’; and loss is keenly felt in R. S. Thomas’s ‘A Marriage’. Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes appear together in print as in life, and the yearning for an absent love is simply and beautifully portrayed in Constantine Cavafy’s ‘Come back’. Snippets of Sappho are translated from Greek, while Arabic, Catalan, Tamil, Chinese, Irish and French are among the many native languages of the poets included in this emotive and joyful collection.
Winner of the prestigious Queen’s Gold Medal for Poetry 2014, Dharker is a prominent figure in the poetry sphere, but she is also an award-winning filmmaker and globally exhibited artist. Born in Pakistan, Dharker works between Britain and India and is widely published and exhibited around the world. In Love Poems, she has embraced the cultural diversity of classical and contemporary poetry, delving into archives for little-known poems, while also showcasing the better-known stalwarts of the poetry canon. An exciting, fresh and diverse collection, the poems are complemented by Mikki Lee’s stunning artwork. Winner of the prestigious Book Illustration Competition, Lee’s prize commission is a beautiful interpretation of the work that sets apart this unique volume that will be treasured by poetry fans.
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