Stepping Stones: Interviews with Seamus Heaney

I saw and heard Mr. Heaney read his work more than three decades ago after he won the Nobel Prize. He autographed my collection of his work, translated into Irish by Gabriel Rosenstock. Although had he little Irish at the time, he was intrigued and delighted that his work was accessible in Irish to Irish speakers. What impressed me most was his humility, warmth. and love of the spoken word. This collection captures his love for his craft and humanity, and is wonderful. Hearing his poetry read is so different from reading his words on paper. I am so grateful to have the spoken words and memories of a great poet too soon gone.

While I was searching (in vain) for a full length biography of Seamus Heaney, I found this book. At first the question/answer format did not appeal to me, but the more I read, the more engrossing it became. Dennis O’Driscoll is a marvelous interviewer: fully prepared, probing, balanced. And Seamus Heaney must have been a joy to interview: thoughtful, honest, and delightfully not full of himself. While I was often left in limbo by not knowing the context of many topics, I still gained valuable insights into Heaney’s life and work. I will keep searching for the elusive excellent biography, but until then this unique book will help me probe deeper into thought and work of my favorite poet.

The world just lost one of its most thoughtful poets when Seamus Heaney died just a couple of weeks ago. I received this collection of his interviews with Dennis O'Driscoll about the same time, so reading it was especially poignant. I appreciated the depth of Heaney's answers to O'Driscoll's probing questions, all very literary and quite thorough. Because I am writing a paper on the poetry of the IRA hunger striker, Bobby Sands, I wanted to compare his background and work to that of Ireland most famous literary son since W. B. Yeats. I found there was little to compare. Heaney's upbringing was largely protected and privileged, his path toward success directed early in his life via private schools and university education, meeting and befriending the intelligentsia of his day; his Nobel Laureate practically a shoe-in. Sands had no privileges, only obstacles, and though his poetry does not begin to measure up to Heaney's in form or depth, the conditions under which he was forced to write and the passion that fueled his cause made concrete through his pen puts anything Heaney did to shame. Heaney admits he could have taken up the cause for Ireland's freedom, as did Sands, but he preferred a life cloistered from chaos--and sacrifice. While Heaney's work will live on for its poetic perfection, perhaps, Sands dedication to freedom and peace in Northern Ireland will be the greater and more lasting contribution.

I happened to be writing a paper on Seamus Heaney, the contemporary Irish poet, for my literary club. There is no official "biography" as such but this is better! It's a series of questions and answers put to Mr. Heaney by Dennis O'Driscoll, a very talented writer in his own right. It is anything but dry, as so many biographies are. I really feel that I "know" Mr. Heaney now. Mr. O'Driscoll is a skilled interviewer and asks questions I never would have thought of. The book is fairly long and took several years to write but is so interesting that it's a fast read. I really really liked this book!

This collection of interviews is often quoted and a valuable resource for those who research the work of Seamus Heaney. The photographs inform as well as the text. The book was edited by another poet who knew Heaney.

EXCELLENT QUESTIONS BY THE INTERVIEWER. I learned so much about the poet, Ireland in the 40's and 50's and what made this poet so special. Best book I have read in years!!!!!!!

Love this wonderful essay book!

excellent

Great book for anyone interested in the poet. The extended interviews, mostly carried out by post, are conducted by Dennis O’Driscoll who clearly knows Heaney and his work intimately. Each interview takes as its starting point a different collection in chronological order. Heaney comes across as a powerfully intelligent individual with his feet firmly rooted in family and kinship. I learned a great deal about the genesis of the poetry and far more about the man himself. This will encourage readers to take an even greater interest in the poetry not only of Heaney but also the work of some of the other artists cited as influences. Highly readable, highly recommended.

I have been reading this to help with my dissertation on Heaney's poetry and I have found it a really useful resource for learning about Heaney's careers, childhood and poetry.He generously answers a wealth of questions on his political views, family life, poetry and his experiences with other writers.If you need to learn more about Heaney's poetry or are just interested in the man himself, then this is a good book to support your reading of his collections.

Heaney's passing over, which is what all good Celts do rather than dying in the ordfinary way, leaves us with a treasure house of work from a great yet humble mind. This collection of interviews with Dennis O'Driscoll helps to fill that personal gap between the reader of the work of a fine poet and the meeting with the man himself which few of us could achieve in his lifetime. It's also great stuff for an amateur poet to have in hand. We should all write some poetry.

Wonderful, wonderful book. An insight into Seamus Heaney's poetic process and organic grá for words. It is a masterclass in every direction. No word-lover should be without this resource and inspiration. Invaluable.

My partner read this to me (I have low vision) and I found the interview technique highly satisfying. Full marks to the interviewer for his perceptive questions. I would be pleased to read ( have read) more - I felt fully engaged.