Quotes
“A new standard in the enterprise of bringing the past back into poetry.” Wall Street Journal
“Armitage’s spectacular translation…renders this anonymous poem into modern English lines that command your full allegiance…With captivating articulation, these lines growl and roar and hiss in a way that reminds us just how much our preference for rhyme over alliteration has cost us. And amid all the viscera and gore, we find such startling moments of intimacy and grief, expressed by soldiers wholly unconstrained by our narrow, modern-day expectations of manhood.” Washington Post
“Invitingly ingenious and inventive.” Guardian (London)
“Armitage, on top form, renders [Arthur] expertly.” Independent (London)
“Armitage has triumphed…The verse requires attention; but, once you are attuned to the alliterative structure, it’s as swift as the swish of a sword.” Spectator