Best known today for his critical pronouncements, Matthew Arnold has still not received his due as a wonderfully moving poet, and only one of his poems, ‘Dover Beach’, is remembered by most – although it’s a strong candidate for the nation’s favourite. John Greening’s personal selection invites us to imagine ‘Matt’, as he was known, without the sideburns and the scowl. Readers may be surprised to learn just how ahead of his time Arnold was in his tastes and values, as well as in his early use of free verse. Along with a helpful introduction and thorough notes, this collection brings together love poems, retellings of myths and tributes, along with some of Arnold’s better-known works, ‘Dover Beach’, ‘Sohrab and Rustum’, a heart-wrenching story of a doomed father–son relationship, the glorious elegiac ‘The Scholar-Gipsy’ and its sequel, ‘Thyrsis’, about the loss of his dearest friend, and there’s even a genuinely animated version of the Little Mermaid story. This edition aims to restore Arnold’s name as one of the finest poets of the Victorian era.

'Arnold is a gateway poet… he also happens to be a hugely enjoyable read!' -- Daljit Nagra
'Arnold offers readers resonant connection to the depth and mystery of our lives.' -- Penelope Shuttle

Matthew Arnold (1822–88) was an English poet, critic and cultural commentator best remembered today for his poem ‘Dover Beach’. He was also a school inspector, and an early proponent for state schools and access to education. John Greening is the author of over twenty collections of poetry, most recently The Interpretation of Owls: Selected Poems 1977–2022. His essays on poetry are collected in Vapour Trails and A High Calling. He has taught in Upper Egypt, Scotland and New Jersey, and has lived for many years with his family in Cambridgeshire.