The Art of Robert Frost Tim Kendall

Widely revered during his lifetime, Robert Frost continues to enchant readers today, nearly a century after the publication of his first volume of poems, "A Boy's Will". This book presents a splendid selection of 64 poems from across Frost's writing career, beginning in the 1890s and ending with "Directive" from the 1940s.

Tim Kendall offers a detailed account of each poem, enabling readers to follow the journey which Frost himself recognized in all great poetry: "It begins in delight and ends in wisdom". In addition to close readings of the poems, "The Art of Robert Frost" traces the development of Frost's writing career and relevant aspects of his life. The book also assesses the particular nature of the poet's style, how it changes over time, and how it relates to the works of contemporary poets and movements, including Modernism.

The first book on Frost to combine selected poems with a critical study, this appealing volume will be welcome on the shelves of scholars, students, and all other readers who love fine poetry.

Tim Kendall is professor of English literature and Head of English, University of Exeter. He was founding editor of Thumbscrew, an international poetry magazine, and is the author of several books including Sylvia Plath: A Critical Study. He lives in Devon.

'[An] immensely pleasurable anthology… Tim Kendall’s commentary is exemplary: locally attentive and widely informed, it should prove both helpful to the newcomer and a good companion to those many readers for whom these striking poems are already a part of their inner landscape.' Seamus Perry, Times Literary Supplement

'In Professor Kendall's generous selection from Frost's published collections, the voice of the critic is perfectly tuned to that of the poet. Kendall's 'readings' are lucid, persuasive, and blessedly jargon-free. One hopes that others will adopt his brilliant and innovative model when introducing other poets' Selected Poems.' Jon Stallworthy, Oxford University