Collected poems - Don Maclennan

Don Maclennan (1929-2009) was one of South Africa’s best-loved teachers and the pre-eminent poet of his generation. Though he matured as a poet only in his fifties, he produced some twenty volumes before his death. None of our poets is more penetrating without cynicism, more beautifully thoughtful, or more readable. The Collected Poems gathers some 600 poems, including all the published volumes as well as numerous poems printed in periodical magazines and hitherto unavailable in one book. It shows clearly the poet’s development towards a style of increasing spareness and lucidity of image. No poetry in the nation reveals greater passion for the mere fact of being alive or greater clarity of vision; few can match its uncompromising honesty and courage in the face of physical collapse and impending death.