Seamus Heaney was the most celebrated English language poet of his generation. His public persona transcended the genre: following the award of a Nobel Prize in 1995 he was afforded the status of establishment sage, to be fêted by authorities and quoted by presidents. The Estate of Seamus Heaney does well to remind us, however, that most of all this man's legacy 'lives on through the poems themselves'. Heaney's posthumous reputation will therefore need to be securely grounded in a clear-eyed appreciation of the distinctive nature, quality and continuing relevance of his writing. It is with this in mind that the contributors to Sounding Heaney return to the poetry, invoking its compelling spirit as they reassess its value within the context of a changing world.
