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The Letters of Seamus Heaney Hardcover – October 5, 2023

by Seamus Heaney (Author)
4.9 out of 5 stars 56 ratings
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‘A marvellous book, lovingly edited, beautifully produced. . . and brimming with literary insights, much laughter, a sprinkle of gossip and the poet’s insuppressible joie de vivre, even in adversity. Buy it, read it, and keep it to hand on to your children.’ John Banville, Guardian

‘An epistolary cornucopia. . . contains an abundance of insight and illumination, literary gossip and appraisal, playfulness and cogency, all bound up with a steadfast attention to the feelings and expectations of each correspondent.’ Patricia Craig, TLS Books of the Year


Every now and again I need to get down here, to get into the Diogenes tub, as it were, or the Colmcille beehive hut, or the Mossbawn scullery. At any rate, a hedge surrounds me, the blackbird calls, the soul settles for an hour or two . . .

For all his public eminence, Seamus Heaney seems never to have lost the compelling need to write personal letters. In this ample but discriminating selection from fifty years of his correspondence, we are given access as never before to the life and poetic development of a literary titan – from his early days in Belfast, through his controversial decision to settle in the Republic, to the gradual broadening of horizons that culminated in the award of a Nobel Prize and the years of international acclaim that kept him heroically busy until his death.

Editor Christopher Reid draws from both public and private archives to reveal this story in the poet’s own words. Generous, funny, exuberant, confiding, irreverent, empathetic and deeply thoughtful, the letters encompass decades-long relationships with friends and colleagues, as well as showing an unstinted responsiveness to passing acquaintances. Moreover, Heaney’s joyous mastery of language is as evident here as it is in any of his writing for a literary readership.

Listening to Heaney’s voice, we find ourselves in the same room as a man whose presence, when he lived, enriched the world immeasurably, and whose legacy continues to deepen our sense of what truly matters.

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  1. Print length
    848 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    Faber & Faber
  4. Publication date
    October 5, 2023
  5. Dimensions
    9.53 x 1.54 x 6.54 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    057134108X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-0571341085
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Faber & Faber; Main edition (October 5, 2023)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 848 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 057134108X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0571341085
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 2.47 pounds
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.53 x 1.54 x 6.54 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.9 out of 5 stars 56 ratings

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Seamus Heaney

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Top reviews from the United States

  • S. M. Owens
    5.0 out of 5 stars How exciting to read a book of letters by an a poet I already liked
    Reviewed in the United States on January 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    I was so delighted to discover a book of letters by Seamus Heaney, deceased about 2015 that helped me to get a picture of Heaney and his friends. I especially enjoy learning about the poet's appreciation of legendary figures such as Beowulf and Heaney's appreciation for the ways such characters related to their mothers. Mothers of heroes relate to their children even as current Irish mothers grieve the loss of sons killed in battles and shipwrecks. Another Irish writer in this vein was John Millington Syngh, author of Riders to the Sea.

    S M Owens, Raleigh, NC, USA
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  • Jonny Too Bad
    5.0 out of 5 stars A Master
    Reviewed in the United States on December 7, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Wonderful insight to once of our most important poets.
    One person found this helpful
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  • R.E. Ray
    5.0 out of 5 stars Poetry in Letters
    Reviewed in the United States on December 3, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Though I would've been surprised to find otherwise, the letters included in this book show definitively that Seamus Heaney was a poet on and off the proverbial stage. His mastery of language couldn't' be confined to writing poems.

    This book sits on my library table with my childhood Bible and Luther's Small Catechism. It's that highly regarded. Christopher Reid did a brilliant job putting together this collection. A book worth opening regularly for inspiration.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Chelle Stewart
    5.0 out of 5 stars absorbing, immersive, beeautiful
    Reviewed in the United States on September 26, 2024
    The Letters of Seamus Heaney by Seamus Heaney is absorbing, immersive, beeautiful

    I fell in love with the poetry of Seamus Heaney when it was on the curriculum at school (many, many years ago, 35 to be exact) and since then, have always had them memorised, so when there was an opportunity to glean some further insight into the mind of this incredible wordsmith, I jumped at it and I was not at al disappointed

    What a delight, what an absolute joy to read these letters, to see how this incredible poet evolved as his life changed, always maintaining his friendships, valuing people, his deep humanity and affability, his incredible mind

    I would recomend this book very highly to any reader, any author, any lover of literature as it is a wonderful insight to how true greatness comes to be and how it is intrinsically linked to a deep seated humility

    Thank you to Netgalley, Farrar, Straus and Giroux and the incredible Seamus Heaney for this incredible ARC. My review is left voluntarily and all opinions are my own
    2 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

  • Carles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Letters by Seamus Heaney.
    Reviewed in Spain on February 21, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    A perfect chance to read a personal Heaney out of his poetry.
    The most personal Heaney, as poet as in his poetry.
    Let's enjoy.
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  • kiltie annie
    5.0 out of 5 stars A gift
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 10, 2025
    Verified Purchase
    The recipient dies and so it has remained unread for the present. A good writer though.
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  • Amazon Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Real good
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 8, 2024
    Verified Purchase
    Amazing
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  • Rupert Merson
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great poet. Great letter writer. Great book.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on November 8, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    This is a big book and a great one. If you're into poetry and into Famous Seamus you will love it. And those who love neither will enjoy it too. A selected letters is so much better than an autobiography particularly if it is well edited - as this one is. And Heaney had a fascinating life worth reading about. There are no letters to family members here, which is a pity, but I understand the family's decision on this prohibition. A future generation will have another treat in store. The letters we are allowed to read are wonderful - on literature as well as life. And the book is also a wonderful object. Faber books are either awful or wonderful - this one is wonderful: solid, nicely bound, lovely paper. The dust jacket imagery echoes that of the marvellous Heaney translations published last year. Is it too much to hope that there will soon be a collected poems to match?
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  • Polly
    5.0 out of 5 stars Friends galore plus insights both personal and poetic.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 14, 2023
    Verified Purchase
    Beautifully presented collection. I am enjoying it enormously as I knew Seamus in the earlier days and remember the various events places & publications.
    In particular it is a pleasure - and also a sadness - to come across many familiar names of colleagues & acquaintances, now dead. So Memory Lane for me, plus plenty of additional moments of insight.
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