A Spell to Bless the Silence: Selected Poems

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As one of the groundbreaking poets from Ulster, John Montague was significant in the development of postwar Irish, British, and American poetry. His early poems reflect the political and sectarian divide of his native County Tyrone, explore his Catholic upbringing, and moving record a ritualized lifestyle that in Ireland has been fast fading from view. In later years, Montague’s American and European interests became as apparent as his Irish ones, making him a bridge to the younger generation of Irish poets. Undertaken by Montague and Elizabeth Wassell prior to the poet’s death in December 2016, this selection includes work from fourteen volumes written over more than fifty years. With a preface by Wassell