Books by James Fenton

'Forget "bones". Forget "structure". Forget trees, shrubs, and perennials. This is not a book about big projects. It is about thinking your way towards an essential flower garden, by the most traditional of routes: planting some seeds and seeing how they grow.'

In the aftermath of the massacre of a clan, an epic story of self-sacrifice and revenge unfolds as a young orphan discovers the shattering truth behind his childhood. Sometimes referred to as the Chinese Hamlet and tracing its origins to the 4th century BC, The Orphan of Zhao was the first Chinese play to be translated in the West. James Fenton's adaptation of The Orphan of Zhao premiered with the RSC at the Swan Theatre, Stratford-upon-Avon in November 2012.

Winner of both the Queen's Gold Medal and the Whitbread Prize for Poetry, James Fenton has given readers some of the most memorable lyric verse of the past decades, from the formal skill that marked his debut, Terminal Moraine, to the dramatic and political monologues of The Memory of War and Children in Exile, through to the unforgettable love poems of Out of Danger and his most recent work: Poems is an essential selection by, as Stephen Spender put it, 'a brilliant poet of technical virtuosity'.Don't talk to me of love. I've had an earfulAnd I get tearful when I've downed a drink or two.I'm one of your talking wounded.I'm a hostage. I'm maroonded.But I'm in Paris with you.From 'In Paris With You' by James Fenton

James Fenton (1820-1901), a pioneer, wrote this history of the island in 1884. It is an important work for those interested in colonialism and the history of Australia, as it documents the building of the colony (including the involvement of convicts) and the treatment of the native aborigines.

In this series, a contemporary poet selects and introduces a poet of the past. By their choice of poems and by the personal and critical reactions they express in their prefaces, the editors offer insights into their own work as well as providing an accessible and passionate introduction to the most important poets in our literature.Tyger Tyger, burning bright,In the forests of the night:What immortal hand or eye,Could frame thy fearful symmetry?-- The Tyger

James Fenton's An Introduction to English Poetry offers a master class for both the reader and writer of poetry. Simply and elegantly written and discussing the work of poets as wide ranging as W. H. Auden, Dylan Thomas, Tennyson, Kipling, Milton and Blake, it covers all varieties of poetic practice in English.'It is hard to imagine a beginner who could not learn from [this book]. If you know a young poet, give them this' The Times Literary Supplement