Author/s: R. Malan
Publisher: Oxford University Press SA
Reviewed by: Independent Education magazine
ISBN 13: 9780195986501

It is a regrettable thought, but probably correct, that the only volume of poetry that many adults have on their bookshelves is one that was prescribed for their matric.

Hopefully, some folk in that situation will occasionally turn to a poem, remember what their teacher said about it, and read it with the advantage of maturity. Those who, in years to come, idly take up this anthology and read some poetry will find that they have a resource that will bring them joy. Robin Malan, who wrote the support material in the work, points out that this is the first anthology in which the poems have been selected by a panel of experts in the Department of Education. It does not suffer because of this.

Malan has offered the help, the means and the skills to understand and appreciate the selected poems. He has asked useful questions.

He has arranged the poems by poet, chronologically by date of birth, as he feels that most teachers still like to teach the poems by period. There are poems representing the pre-Elizabethan period, the Elizabethans, the Romantics, the Victorians, the First World War, the years after that war until the 1950’s, and the “old guard” of the new poets. Thereafter, the focus shifts to the strong body of poems written in English by black South African poets.

Readers (and not only teachers and their pupils) will find helpful guidelines on how to approach a poem and how to tackle an unseen. Each poem has a footnote-glossary, and there is a short biography of each poet. Questions (occasionally essay-type) are provided, with suggested answers. There is even a rubric for marking essay questions. There are also indices of poets and poems.

Recommended.

Link to online catalogue
POEMscapes