Modernist Legacies provides a comprehensive critical overview of some of the most significant currents in contemporary British poetry. The essays chart a series of currents in British poetry that take off from the modernism of the early twentieth century and remain committed to linguistic innovation, formal experimentation, a deep engagement with media and materiality, and an obligation to grasp contemporary society and to probe the place of poetry within it. Many of the essays focus on the significance of the American context for the way the modernist legacy is transmitted. As well as studies of established poets such as Barry MacSweeney, Wendy Mulford, Denise Riley, and Tom Raworth, the collection includes critical essays on younger poets such as Caroline Bergvall, Sean Bonney, Jeff Hilson, and Keston Sutherland.
