The Great Cat

Poems About Cats

By Emily Fragos | Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

About the book

This delightful anthology gives us a teeming litter of literary tributes to the ever-fascinating, ever-mystifying cat.

The feline has inspired poetic adoration since the days of the pharaohs, and the poems collected here cover an astonishing range of periods, cultures, and styles. Poets across the continents and centuries have described the feline family–from kittens to old toms, pussycats to panthers–doing what they do best: sleeping, prowling, prancing, purring, sleeping some more, and gazing disdainfully at lesser beings like ourselves. Here are Yeats’s Minnaloushe, Christopher Smart’s Jeoffry, Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat, T. S. Eliot’s Rum Tum Tugger, William Blake’s tyger and Rilke’s panther. Here are tributes from Sufi mystics, medieval Chinese poets, and haiku masters of imperial Japan, from Chaucer, Shelley, Borges, Neruda, Dickinson, and Shakespeare. Here are the cats of Mother Goose, and the one who wore the hat for Dr. Seuss.

The Great Cat will delight cat lovers everywhere, celebrating as it does the beauty, the mystery, the gravity, the grace, and, of course, the unassailable superiority of the cat.

Editions of The Great Cat

Hardcover
ISBN 9781400043347

Read an Excerpt

This delightful anthology gives us a teeming litter of literary tributes to the ever-fascinating, ever-mystifying cat.

The feline has inspired poetic adoration since the days of the pharaohs, and the poems collected here cover an astonishing range of periods, cultures, and styles. Poets across the continents and centuries have described the feline family–from kittens to old toms, pussycats to panthers–doing what they do best: sleeping, prowling, prancing, purring, sleeping some more, and gazing disdainfully at lesser beings like ourselves. Here are Yeats’s Minnaloushe, Christopher Smart’s Jeoffry, Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat, T. S. Eliot’s Rum Tum Tugger, William Blake’s tyger and Rilke’s panther. Here are tributes from Sufi mystics, medieval Chinese poets, and haiku masters of imperial Japan, from Chaucer, Shelley, Borges, Neruda, Dickinson, and Shakespeare. Here are the cats of Mother Goose, and the one who wore the hat for Dr. Seuss.

The Great Cat will delight cat lovers everywhere, celebrating as it does the beauty, the mystery, the gravity, the grace, and, of course, the unassailable superiority of the cat.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is The Great Cat about?

This delightful anthology gives us a teeming litter of literary tributes to the ever-fascinating, ever-mystifying cat.

The feline has inspired poetic adoration since the days of the pharaohs, and the poems collected here cover an astonishing range of periods, cultures, and styles. Poets across the continents and centuries have described the feline family–from kittens to old toms, pussycats to panthers–doing what they do best: sleeping, prowling, prancing, purring, sleeping some more, and gazing disdainfully at lesser beings like ourselves. Here are Yeats’s Minnaloushe, Christopher Smart’s Jeoffry, Lewis Carroll’s Cheshire Cat, T. S. Eliot’s Rum Tum Tugger, William Blake’s tyger and Rilke’s panther. Here are tributes from Sufi mystics, medieval Chinese poets, and haiku masters of imperial Japan, from Chaucer, Shelley, Borges, Neruda, Dickinson, and Shakespeare. Here are the cats of Mother Goose, and the one who wore the hat for Dr. Seuss.

The Great Cat will delight cat lovers everywhere, celebrating as it does the beauty, the mystery, the gravity, the grace, and, of course, the unassailable superiority of the cat.

What core themes, tropes, or subjects are explored in The Great Cat?

Biography, Literature and Literary studies > Poetry / Poems > Poetry anthologies (various poets)

Where can I read a sample of The Great Cat?

You can read an official preview of the few pages here https://www.book2look.com/book/9781400043347

Is The Great Cat part of a series, and can it be read as a standalone?

Yes it is a part of series Everyman's Library Pocket Poets Series

Who is/are the Author/s of the book The Great Cat?

Emily Fragos

Who is the Publisher of the book The Great Cat?

Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group

What are the ISBN numbers for the physical and digital editions?

The Great Cat is available as hardcover(ISBN 9781400043347)

Where can I buy The Great Cat online or support local independent bookshops?

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Where can I buy The Great Cat?