Crediting Poetry

The Poetry and Prose of Seamus Heaney

The American poet Robert Lowell described Seamus Heaney as the greatest Irish poet since W. B. Yeats, and many noted the coincidence that Heaney was born in the year that Yeats died. A Nobel prize winner and Ireland's unofficial national poet until his death in 2013, Heaney is probably most well-known for his poem 'Digging'. In this course, we look beyond 'Digging' to Heaney's other works, his prose, his poetry, and his translations.

Crediting Poetry

In this course, Rosie discusses Heaney's Nobel Prize acceptance speech, which was entitled 'Crediting Poetry'. Rosie draws connections between the speech and his poem 'Fosterling' (1991), explores the concept of 'difference' in Heaney's thought, as well as the 'wideness of language'. Rosie finishes by exploring Heaney's thoughts on the role of the poet in society, especially against the background of the Troubles.