Space, Place and Poetry in English and German, 1960-1975 examines the work of Paul Celan, J. H. Prynne, Derek Mahon, Sarah Kirsch, Edwin Morgan and Ernst Jandl, bringing together postwar English- and German-language poetry and criticism on the theme of space, place and landscape. Nicola Thomas highlights hitherto underexplored connections between a wide range of poets working across the two language areas, demonstrating that space and place are vital critical categories for understanding poetry of this period. Thomas’s analysis reveals weaknesses in existing critical taxonomies, arguing for the use of ‘late modernist’ as a category with cross-cultural relevance, and promotes methodological exchange between the Anglophone and German traditions of landscape, space and place oriented poetic criticism, to the benefit of both.

“This is a timely and engaging monograph informed by thorough, perceptive and sophisticated scholarship. The pairings of poets are novel and illuminating – I know of no other study that examines Anglophone and German-language poetry of this period in such detail – and Thomas’s deft combination of ideas from German and Anglophone traditions is highly suggestive.” (Neal Alexander, Lecturer in Twentieth Century Literature, Aberystwyth University, UK and author of Ciaran Carson: Space, Place, Writing)

“Space, Place and Poetry in English and German, 1960-1975 offers an ambitious, original perspective on the poetry of six acclaimed poets from six different countries over nearly two decades. It pairs major writers from the Anglophone and German traditions in a series of genuinely illuminating case studies, which run counter to conventional wisdom and contribute to a bold topographical reading of post-war poetry. This is subtle, detailed and constantly inspiring, interdisciplinary research the way it should be done.” (Karen Leeder, Professor of Modern German Literature, University of Oxford, UK)