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  • Published: 15 May 2011
  • ISBN: 9781407075136
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 256

Who Is Ozymandias?

And other Puzzles in Poetry




An intelligent yet playful look at some of the most teasing and mystifying puzzles in poetry - a delightful addition to any poetry-lover's shelf.

Part of the pleasure of poetry is unravelling the mysteries and difficulties it contains and solving the puzzles that lie within. Who, for instance, is Ozymandias? What is the Snark? Who is the Emperor of Ice-Cream? Or indeed, who is 'you' in a poem?

In this perceptive and playful new book, acclaimed poet John Fuller looks at some of our greatest poems and considers the number of individual puzzles at their heart, casting light on how we should approach these conundrums as readers. From riddling to double entendres, mysterious titles to red herrings, Fuller unpicks the puzzles in works that range from Browning to Bishop, Empson to Eliot, Shelley to Stevens, to help us reach the rewards and revelations that lie at the centre of some of our best-loved poems.

  • Published: 15 May 2011
  • ISBN: 9781407075136
  • Imprint: Vintage Digital
  • Format: EBook
  • Pages: 256

About the author

John Fuller

John Fuller, born in Ashford, Kent, is an acclaimed poet and novelist. His collection Stones and Fires (1996) was awarded the Forward Prize; Ghosts (2004) was shortlisted for the Whitbread Award for Poetry; The Space of Joy (2006) was shortlisted for the Costa Poetry Award, and The Grey Among the Green (1988), Song & Dance (2008) and Pebble & I (2010) were all Poetry Book Society Recommendations. His 1983 novel Flying to Nowhere won the Whitbread First Novel Award and was shortlisted for the Booker Prize. He has also written collections of short stories and several books for children. He is an Emeritus Fellow of Magdalen College, Oxford.

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Praise for Who Is Ozymandias?

A witty, erudite and illuminating book, which encourages one to enjoy the puzzles and pleasures of poetry without fear

Brandon Robshaw, Independent on Sunday

Fuller’s guide will help poetry novices and experienced readers alike

Big Issue in the North

Fuller's book should encourage many to go off and puzzle out poems for themselves

Fiona Sampson, Sunday Times

Intriguing and witty

The Lady

It leaps from peak to peak, fuelled by an immense amount of learning and experience

Nicholas Lezard, Guardian

John Fuller is both a well-published poet and a well-tested critic of contemporary poetry. This new book gets to grips with the essential puzzlement of poetry...It is not a densely theoretical book, but written engagingly and approachably

Independent

Perceptive and playful…Fuller guides readers through the fundamental questions that make interpreting a poem so enjoyable and rewarding

Good Book Guide