Carcanet Press Logo
Quote of the Day
Your list has always been interesting, idiosyncratic, imaginative and your translations [...] have been a source of pleasure to me.
Al Alvarez
News
Andrew Shanks Shortlisted for Schlegel-Tieck Prize 2024
Congratulations to Andrew Shanks, who has been shortlisted for the Schlegel-Tieck Prize with Revelation Freshly Erupting by Nelly Sachs! read more
Andrew Shanks Wins 2024 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation
Congratulations to Andrew Shanks, who has been announced as the winner of the 2024 Warwick Prize for Women in Translation with Revelation Freshly Erupting by Nelly Sachs! read more
Shuntaro Tanikawa Dies aged 92
We were deeply saddened to learn that Shuntaro Tanikawa, celebrated Japanese poet and translator, died in Tokyo on Wednesday 13th November, aged 92. read more
Welcome to Carcanet Press, one of the outstanding independent literary publishers of our time. Now in its sixth decade, Carcanet publishes the most comprehensive and diverse list available of modern and classic poetry in English and in translation, as well as inventive fiction, Lives and Letters and critical writing.

Shipments outside the UK will be sent via courier, duties unpaid. Please note that customs and duty fees may be charged by your national postal operator or courier service.

The Face in the Well The Face in the Well Rebecca Watts
Invisible Dog Invisible Dog Fabio Morábito Tr. Richard Gwyn
Collected Poems Collected Poems Mimi Khalvati
One Little Room One Little Room Peter McDonald
Fourth and Walnut Fourth and Walnut Jeremy Over
Cancer Cancer Tom Raworth
Fower Pessoas Fower Pessoas Colin Bramwell
Access digital editions of selected Carcanet titles
Poem of the Day

Lightning Strikes School Tree

John Clegg

No-one saw it but me and I had my eyes shut:
I’d given the class their Thomas Hardy worksheets,
the bell had gone off, hinging our double period,
everybody was scraping their chairs about,
there was an agreed low level of laugh and chat
and doubtless some thought was authentically
bent to the poem, some to the fizzy striplight,
some to the weight of the next forty minutes and some
to the far field out of the window
where – as I say – with my eyes shut
I saw not the flash but the mid-distance lime tree
pulled flat like the loop in a seam
at the fact of a needle: and then when I blinked
I could still see the needle, and I had my eyes shut.
Taken from 'Aliquot'...
Share this...
The Carcanet Blog We've Moved! read more Books of the Year read more One Little Room: Peter McDonald read more Collected Poems: Mimi Khalvati read more Invisible Dog: Fabio Morbito, translated by Richard Gwyn read more Dante's Purgatorio: Philip Terry read more
Find your local bookshop logo
Arts Council Logo
We thank the Arts Council England for their support and assistance in this interactive Project.
This website ©2000-2025 Carcanet Press Ltd