{"product_id":"not-my-best-side-selected-poems-paperback","title":"Not My Best Side: Selected Poems - Paperback","description":"\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eU. a. Fanthorpe\u003c\/b\u003e (Author), \u003cb\u003eJohn Greening\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eA. E. Stallings\u003c\/b\u003e (Preface by)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe English poet U. A. Fanthorpe (1929-2009) liked to call herself \"a middle-aged drop-out,\" having abandoned a successful teaching career to focus on her poetry, even concealing her Oxford degree so she could find paid work--at Hoover, then as a hospital receptionist. This gave her a chance to study people, which is what her wonderful poems do best.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eFanthorpe's verse is instinctively English, often very moving, frequently funny, invariably rooted in her faith. Fanthorpe and her partner, Rosie Bailey, became Quakers in the 1980s. These poems touch on spiritual matters, dramatize Bible stories, and are underpinned by a profound moral sense. Fanthorpe does not judge; rather, she watches, records, and allows her words to do their work.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWhen her first small-press collection appeared in 1978, it was an unexpected hit. Penguin brought out an early \u003ci\u003eSelected Poems \u003c\/i\u003ein 1986, and her poetry began to reach beyond the usual readership, praised by celebrities and even politicians. She found herself on the school exam syllabus, then receiving the Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry. She was the first woman to be nominated for the Oxford Professor of Poetry. Despite Fanthorpe's domestic success, her work is still largely unfamiliar beyond the UK. In this volume, \u003ci\u003eNot My Best Side: Selected Poems\u003c\/i\u003e, distinguished poet John Greening selects poems from across her books, adding an introduction and notes. Oxford's current Professor of Poetry, A. E. Stallings, also contributes a brilliant preface.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 258\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.8 x 8.2 x 5.2 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e October 15, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51773865001248,"sku":"9781481321464","price":34.18,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0974\/9764\/5344\/files\/5e279b49cd7cb1521f287961187033b8_7c33799a-263f-40a0-a641-36c5922db26c.webp?v=1780434592","url":"https:\/\/ebocreations.com\/products\/not-my-best-side-selected-poems-paperback","provider":"The E-Book Oasis LLC","version":"1.0","type":"link"}