Selected Poems and Letters

HarperCollins is proud to present its new range of best-loved, essential classics.

‘I am certain of nothing but the holiness of the Heart's affections and the truth of the Imagination.’

One of the most popular of the Romantic poets, Keats’ poetry is suffused with adoration for natural beauty, exploration of joy and pain, and ideas on the transience of life. This new collection combines many of Keats’ well-loved poems – from ‘Ode to a Nightingale’ to ‘Bright Star’ – with his letters, often studied, analysed and admired in parallel and offering a fascinating insight into the life and mind of the famous poet.

Despite a lack of recognition during his own lifetime, Keats’ work has touched the hearts and minds of many, and deserves its place in the canon of English literature.

Reviews

'One of the half dozen greatest English writers' Edmund Wilson

'No one else in English poetry, save Shakespeare, has in expression quite the fascinating felicity of Keats, his perception of loveliness' Matthew Arnold

About the author

Born in London in 1795, John Keats is one of the most popular of the Romantic poets of the 19th century. During his short life his work failed to achieve literary acclaim, but after his death in 1821 his literary reputation steadily gained pace, inspiring many subsequent poets and students alike.