Amnesty International anthology of poems: GROWN MEN AREN’T SUPPOSED TO CRY
GROWN MEN AREN’T SUPPOSED TO CRY
But in this fascinating anthology, one hundred men – distinguished in literature and film, science and architecture, theatre and human rights – confess to being moved to tears by poems that haunt them. Representing twenty nationalities and ranging in age from their early 20s to their late 80s, the majority are public figures not prone to crying. Here they admit to breaking down when ambushed by great art, often in words as powerful as the poems themselves.
Seventy-five percent of the selected poems were written in the twentieth century, with more than a dozen by women. Their themes range from love in its many guises, through mortality and loss, to the beauty and variety of nature. Three men have suffered the pain of losing a child; others are moved to tears by the exquisite way a poet captures, in Alexander Pope’s famous phrase, ‘what oft was thought, but ne’er so well express’d’.
From J.J Abrams to John le Carré, Salman Rushdie to Jonathan Franzen, Daniel Radcliffe to Nick Cave, Ian McEwan to Stephen Fry, Stanley Tucci to Colin Firth, and Seamus Heaney to Christopher Hitchens, this collection delivers private insight into the souls of men whose writing, acting, and thinking are admired around the world.
Compiled by Anthony and Ben Holden. Anthony is an award-winning journalist who has published more than 30 books, including biographies of Laurence Olivier, Tchaikovsky and Shakespeare.He has published translations of opera, ancient Greek plays and poetry. His son Ben is a writer and film producer. He was director of European Film and Television at Exclusive Media, where he helped relaunch Britain’s most famous film production label, Hammer. Anthony and Ben both live in London.
GROWN MEN AREN’T SUPPOSED TO CRY.
ISBN-13 9781471134890 Hardback
Pages 336
Size 13.5 x 21.6 cms
With contributors from Salman Rushdie to Jonathan Franzen, Daniel Radcliffe to Nick Cave and some of the most emotive lines in literature.
# See more at: website Amnesty Intenational
REVIEWS:
“What I most love about the title chosen by father-and-son editing team Anthony and Ben Holden is the proud grasp of emotion as mature and manly. Two words that become magnificent in their juxtaposition: ‘men’ and ‘cry’”. – Bel Mooney, The Daily Mail
‘…That’s the great thing about a good anthology of poems: you are reminded of old friends and introduced to new ones […] this is a welcome addition to my shelves and I’ll look forward to “Poems That Make Women Cry”.’ – Wendy Cope, Sunday Telegraph
“The Holdens remind us that you don’t have to be an academic or a postgraduate in creative writing to be moved by verse…I defy anyone not to enjoy the Holdens’ book: It’s plain fun.” – Wall Street Journal
“Poems That Make Grown Men Cry is an anthology of some of the most emotive lines in literature chosen by 100 famous and admired men, ranging from Daniel Radcliffe to Nick Cave, John le Carré and Jonathan Franzen.” – Vanessa Thorpe, The Guardian
“Everyone who reads this collection will be roused: disturbed by the pain, exalted in the zest for joy given by poets” – The Observer
“The book is winning praise for introducing male readers to unfamiliar works and emotions.” – The Observer
“Yes, this book will make an ideal gift for the men in your life, particularly those who shudder at the very thought of reading poems. And, of course, as Nadine Gordimer’s and my personal examples prove, it can be enjoyed by everyone, regardless of gender or nationality. After all, that is the power of poetry: how it can speak to each one of us individually and intimately.” – Jenny Bhatt, Storyacious
“Various male Man Booker authors have been blubbing their hearts out in the name of charity. Poems that Make Grown Men Cry, edited by Anthony and Ben Holden, is a collection of verse that brings out the lachrymose side of a swathe of men not usually known for welling up.” – The Man Booker Prize
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