Poems of London brings together a remarkably wide range of poems inspired by the storied city, from its teeming medieval streets to the multicultural metropolis it is today.
The pantheon of classic English poets, from Shakespeare and Donne to Wordsworth and Blake to T. S. Eliot and Ted Hughes, provide their views of London alongside tributes by notable visitors including Arthur Rimbaud, Samuel Beckett, and Sylvia Plath. Here, too, are poetic contributions by an array of immigrants and the children of immigrants, including Linton Kwesi Johnson, Fleur Adcock, Patience Agbabi, and Booker Prize-winner Bernardine Evaristo. All the famous sights of London, from the Thames to the Tower, are touched on in this vibrant collection, and denizens of its busy streets, ranging from princes to pub-goers to pickpockets, wander through these pages. The result is an enthralling portrait of an endlessly varied and fascinating place.