Ideas of Space in Contemporary Poetry

the long version

Ideas of Space in Contemporary Poetry gives a comprehensive account of the way processes of globalization and spatial theory have influenced the work of contemporary poets from the UK and the US. Key elements of the 'spatial turn' in cultural and social theory are drawn from the work of figures as diverse as Henri Lefebvre and Doreen Massey and related to developments in poetry and poetics. A more detailed study of postwar US poetry from the 1950s to the 1970s is complemented by analyses of visual and concrete poetry, issues of history and identity and the way in which digital technology and the internet have influenced the production and distribution of poetic texts. Ian Davidson vividly demonstrates how contemporary poetry, some of which is difficult and challenging, sustains an engagement with important social and political issues.