Versions of the North in Contemporary Poetry

Abstract

Based on a range of anthologies and collections mostly published since 2013, this paper analyses different faces of the North in poetry, from a heavily industrial place filled with the violence of history to a land of opportunity for a brighter future. In doing so, it tries to elucidate what the North means in poetry and what poetry does to representations of the North. A paper on poetry in a journal devoted to British social studies, even though tackling the theme of the issue, namely the North-South Divide today, might come as a surprise to most readers. Hopefully, the present article will prove that verse is not adverse to a reflection on the state of Britain and that the divide between the two fields of study can be bridged and help further research.