Book Review: Alice Oswald's Rhapsody Traces Poetry From Homer to Ted Hughes

Poet Alice Oswald has published her first full-length prose book, Rhapsody: A Manifesto, an extended exploration of the art and history of poetry that draws on figures ranging from Homer to Ted Hughes.

Oswald, who served as Oxford's professor of poetry until 2023, is known for thinking publicly about her craft, with her university lectures previously made available online. The new book marks her first work of sustained prose, though it incorporates a substantial amount of poetry throughout, much of it translated or composed by Oswald herself.

The work draws on a wide range of literary figures, including Shakespeare, Donne and Shelley alongside Hughes, weaving together historical and personal narratives about the spoken and written tradition of poetry across centuries.

Despite being a work of nonfiction, the book is structured around numerous stories and retellings, reflecting Oswald's approach to poetry as something rooted in oral tradition and performance rather than purely written text.

Reviewers note that the book builds toward a broader argument about poetry's relevance to contemporary concerns, including its potential role in advocating for the natural world, positioning the work as both a historical survey and a call to action.