“Finders Keepers” by Seamus Heaney

This is a collection of essays (1971-2001) by one of Ireland’s most beloved and respected poets. The most interesting essays are about his readings of Eliot, Dante, Auden, Yeats, Muir, Marlowe, Thomas, Burns, and Clare (that’s about half the poets he covers). He makes strong arguments for reading them, and it would be a good short cut to finding out which poets you might want to start reading, if you’re curious about poetry but don’t know where to start. He also writes about Irish history and culture, both beautifully and well. The word smithing of a poet shines clearly in his prose, but he doesn’t over do it.