Book excerpt: The 1930s have never really been considered an epoch within Irish literature, even though the Thirties form one of the most dominant and fascinating contexts in modern British literature. This book argues that during this time Irish poets faced up to political pressures and aesthetic dilemmas which frequently overlapped with those associated with 'The Auden Generation'. In so doing, it offers a provocative intercession into Irish history. But more than this, it offers powerful arguments about the way poetry in general is interpreted and understood. In this way, Gillis seeks to redefine our understanding of a frequently neglected period and to challenge received notions of both Irish literature and poetic modernism. Irish Poetry of the 1930s gives detailed and vital readings of the major Irish poets of the decade, including original and exciting analyses of Samuel Beckett, Patrick Kavanagh, Louis MacNeice, and W. B. Yeats.