In February 2004, a minor controversy followed after Randall Stevenson, writing in

The Last of England? 1960-2000

(OUP), claimed that the achievements of experimental poets, such as Andrew Crozier, Douglas Oliver and, most of all, J.H. Prynne, were of longer lasting significance than that of Philip Larkin and his contemporaries. John Carey, reviewing Stevenson's book for

The Sunday Times

, rejected this judgement and, in particular, the apparent preference for Prynne. During the following week, the worth of Prynne's poetry was debated both in newspapers and on radio, while his picture was secretly taken by a

Times

photographer.

What this unusual debate revealed was less to do with a serious engagement with Prynne's writing and more to do with the characterisation of Prynne as wilfully

2101 words

Citation: March-Russell, Paul. "J.H. Prynne". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 January 2005 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=5881, accessed 09 December 2024.]

5881 J.H. Prynne 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

Save this article

Leave Feedback

The Literary Encyclopedia is a living community of scholars. We welcome comments which will help us improve.