Elegies

A profound and moving collection of elegies from Britain's former Poet Laureate, exploring loss, memory, and the enduring power of love.

In Elegies, Carol Ann Duffy returns to the form that has always been central to her work, offering a collection of poems that confront grief, celebrate memory, and find beauty in the midst of sorrow. These elegies range from deeply personal meditations on lost loved ones to broader reflections on collective loss and the passage of time.

With her characteristic blend of accessibility and profound emotional depth, Duffy explores the many faces of loss—death, divorce, the end of childhood, the passing of eras. Her poems move between the intimate and the universal, finding ways to articulate the inexpressible and to transform private grief into shared understanding.

From tender tributes to family members to powerful elegies for public figures and cultural moments, this collection showcases Duffy's unparalleled ability to capture the human experience in all its complexity. Her language is both precise and musical, offering comfort while never shying away from the full weight of loss.

A masterful collection from one of Britain's most beloved poets, Elegies stands as a testament to poetry's power to heal and transform.

Key themes: Grief and loss, memory and remembrance, love and relationships, British cultural identity, healing through poetry, personal and collective mourning