Ben Jonson (1572-1637) is recognised as one of the major poets and dramatists of his time. It is surprising, therefore, that this should be the first study to look specifically at the role of women in his poetry. Barbara Smith challenges previously held conceptions of Jonson as a misogynist, upholding the patronage system that allowed him to work. Through detailed examination of his poetic structures, the influence of Juvenal, Martial and Horace, and Jonson's attitudes to his own female patrons, the Countess of Bedford and Lady Mary Wroth, The Women of Ben Jonson's Poetry demonstrates how...

Anne Askew on the Kafka Machine is an affectionate and at times startling poetic account of life growing up in Ireland. The poems are earthy and lyrical against a backdrop of political events. There is a nod to Irish folklore, and to the myths that connect people to their land and which shape their sense of time and destiny. Barbara writes in a way that is succinct and witty, showing how simple yet significant human relationships are, infusing her poems with tender details while never taking her eye off the inevitable endings that are interwoven into human destiny.