Now a day many people view poetry as something boring and complicated. Sometimes when people see that a book is a book of poetry they turn and ran as fast as they can. College and high school students groan at the thought of having to read or even write the stuff. Very few venture into the poetry world and those who do rarely make it as published poets. It's hard to market poetry and to get people to the beauty within the words. But there is one poet who surpasses everyone in the business. His work astounds many and captivates all who read it. Seamus Heaney is one of the best Irish poets today. He can be compared to that of William Butler Yeats.
Heaney was born and raised in the outskirts of Ireland in the late 1930's. He was born to a cattle-dealing father and an industrial mill maternal family. He has often referred to his out lineage as both "the Ireland of the cattle-herding Gaelic past and the Ulster of the Industrial Revolution." Much of the tension within his own family comes out in his tension within his own poetry. His family background is essential to his poetic style. Much of his life comes out within his poetry in one way or another. He is an exceptional poet in this manner.
Like many Irishmen, Heaney attended the local public school and grew up as a country boy. The poet had won a scholarship to a catholic boarding school: St. Columb's College: when he was twelve years old. Many of his journeys throughout life were reliant on his move from his childhood home. He spent years teaching in America, and made moves from Belfast to the Irish Republic. His first move from his home in Mossbawn has been a reoccurring theme in his poetry from "Digging" to "Alphabets" (both of which appear in his collection of work The Haw Lantern).
Seamus Heaney's poetry first came to the public eye in the mid 1960's when he along with other poets were recognized as offering something of the "Northern School" within Irish writing. He differs from the voice and style he uses but he is fortunate enough to come from a society focused on religion, politics. Both subjects not only gave Heaney a darkening mood, but gave him the time to question poetry's stance on issues such as these in the world. He has written three different essays about his viewpoints on that very question.
He spent some time with the Field Day theater company. There he worked with play-writes and other poets in a project that depicted political life. Through their plays and pamphlets the theater company contributed to the cultural debate at the time. Heaney is also known for his work in translating the epic poem, "Beowulf." Not only does this translation have an English translation, but on the other side of the page has the old English version so those who read it can see where the words originally come from and how they look and even attempt to see how they sounded.
Seamus Heaney is one of the best poets in this day and age. No one else can be measured up to his work, or that other the poets of old. His work draws you in and makes you think and ask yourself a series of questions. He is a remarkable poet and all should read his work.
