For thirty years Anvil has championed the idea of poetry as a free space for the imagination and spirit of poet and reader alike. In the process the press has gained recognition as one of the liveliest and most varied publishers of British and international poetry. "The Spaces of Hope" celebrates that endeavour with Peter Jay's selection of the most memorable poetry he has encountered since 1968. Far from being a rollcall of established reputations, the emphasis is firmly on poems that are exceptional, durable and readable. And the result is an anthology that spans centuries and continents to give a fresh and surprising, yet coherent view of poetry, from classic poets of Europe, the Americas and China to some of the finest contemporary poets of Britain and Ireland. Wide-ranging, outward-looking and internationally-minded, "The Spaces of Hope" challenges current preconceptions about poetry and is unafraid to celebrate the pleasure principle.

Peter Jay (b. 1945) read Classics and English at Oxford, and founded Anvil Press in 1968. He edited 'The Greek Anthology' for Penguin Classics and has translated modern Romanian and Hungarian poets, including Ana Blandiana and Janos Pilinszky. He is the author of 'Shifting Frontiers' (poems, 1980) and the translator of 'The Song of Songs' (1975, new edition 1998) and Gerard de Nerval's 'The Chimeras' (1984). With Caroline Lewis he edited 'Sappho Through English Poetry' (1996).