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Ten Poems about SheepVolume One
ISBN 978 1 907598 11 1
Published March 2012
28 printed pages
Selected and Introduced by Neil Astley
Various Authors
£5.95
Not for the faint-hearted, these poems highlight the harsh realities of the lives of sheep. They contrast starkly with the popular image of sheep as fluffy and sweet – rather, sheep become the starting-point for our own humanity, and the take-off point for some unexpected fantasies too.
“For all that English literature has a centuries-old pastoral tradition, very few poets actually write about sheep, the beasts themselves who live out their short lives so we can fleece them of their flesh and wool. … I do hope that these ten poems about sheep will give readers a greater understanding and sympathy for a poorly understood and too often maligned animal.”
Neil Astley, Introduction to Ten Poems about Sheep
“The mothers have come back
From the shearing, and behind the hedge
The woe of sheep is like a battlefield…”from ‘Sheep’ by Ted Hughes
Poems by Ruth Bidgood, Gillian Clarke, Josephine Dickinson, Ted Hughes, Christina Rossetti, David Scott and Jo Shapcott.
Illustrated by Beth Krommes.
Donation to Compassion in World Farming.
Testimonials
“The sheep poems are chosen by Neil Astley, exceptional editor of large anthologies, who manages this miniature example with typical panache. …Ten Poems About Sheep is a must-have, must-read little wonder.”
Michael Mackmin, The Rialto Blog
