Peter Robinson

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+44 (0) 118 378 7801
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Professor
- Founder of the English Literature with Creative Writing pathway degree
- Lead researcher in the Poetry & Poetics strand of the Modern Studies Centre.
Areas of interest
I am founder of the English Literature with Creative Writing pathway degree and have convened modules in modern and contemporary poetry and creative writing at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. I have also contributed lectures and seminar teaching to a variety of modules for all three years of our degree programme.
Visit my website: Peter Robinson Poet
Postgraduate supervision
The first creative writing PhD in the department, Tom Phillips' travel narrative and study of writing about Albania, was awarded in September 2013. I am currently supervising a part-time creative writing PhD on self discovery in travel writing, with texts ranging from the Caribbean to the Middle East, and a further creative writing PhD focusing on the subject of lyric poetry, with particular reference to Michael Donaghy, Roy Fisher and Geoffrey Hill.
I am also supervising an AHRC-funded PhD on the writing, publication and reception of Japanese poetry in English translation during the 1970s, and a study of Muriel Rukeyser's poetry. I oversee British Academy funded post-doctoral research undertaken by Dr Natalie Pollard, entitled Lyric Economies, which focuses on the relationships between styles of address and publishing policy in twentieth-century and contemporary poetry, and Matthew Sperling's Leverhulme Early Career Fellowship researching on the publishing of British and Irish poetry since 1960.
The department regularly sponsors applications to funding bodies for postgraduate and postdoctoral research and I would be delighted to receive proposals within my own and departmental specialist areas.
Research projects
My primary research interest is the writing, publishing, and reception of twentieth-century and contemporary poetry, and poetry in translation. I have also developed a research interest in those areas I teach, particularly modernist poetry.
My recent publishing projects include editing The Oxford Handbook of Contemporary British and Irish Poetry (2013), The Sound Sense of Poetry, completed for publication in 2014, the first monograph on The Poetry of Roy Fisher, and a book on the philosophy and psychology of poetic revision. I have recently published Foreigners, Drunks and Babies a collection of short stories, Like the Living End, a chapbook of new poetry (both 2013) and a new collection of poems for publication in early 2015.
I continue to have a strong interest in poetry from the entire canon of literature in English, reflected in the subjects of my critical writings, and am happy to direct postgraduate and postdoctoral research in the field of my research interests. I am also open to strong and interesting proposals in creative writing and various interdisciplinary areas connected with poetry.
Poets and Poetics
The Poetry & Poetics strand is located in the Department between Literature & Science and The History of the Book, as a research cluster in its own right, and contributing to both of its neighbours' areas. Drawn together around my research, editing, translating, and writing, it includes the study of book and publishing history for poetry, Romantic and Victorian poetry and poetic theory, contemporary poetry and cultural theory, creative writing, as well as poetry and translation.
Poetry & Poetics has generic affinities with some of the early modern research based in EMRC, and plans collaborative research activity relating to the history of anthologizing. It also has links with Philosophy, and with Italian, links which it will develop and extend in coming years. The research strand will showcase its interconnected themes and concerns at the first Reading Poetry Festival, organized by the group, from 5-9 June 2013.
Poetry & Poetics is co-funder of the postgraduate and ECR conference, 'Shifting Territories: modern and contemporary poetics of place', was held at the Institute of English Studies on 22 and 23 May, 2013.
Two Rivers Press
In 2010, I was invited to become the Poetry Editor of the Two Rivers Press, a Reading based publishing house dedicated to local history and poetry publishing with a special emphasis on creative design. Since taking on the role, I have edited Reading Poetry: An Anthology (2011) and A Mutual Friend: Poems for Charles Dickens (2012).
We began a programme of four poetry books per year, at least two of which were in our First Collection series. During 2012, we published poetry books by Susan Utting, Lesley Saunders, Kate Behrens, and Tom Phillips. In 2013, we published books by A.F. Harrold, Jean Watkins, and Claire Dyer.
Further plans include a collection of poems by Ian House, one by Terry Cree, The Arts of Peace: A Centenary Anthology scheduled for publication 1 August 2014, and Ruth Speirs' translations of Rainer Maria Rilke.
Publications
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Robinson, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7903-5438 (2023) Retrieved attachments. Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 140. ISBN: 9781915048059
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Robinson, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7903-5438 (2022) English nettles and other poems, 2nd edition. Two Rivers Press Illustrated Classics Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 56. ISBN: 9781915048028
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Robinson, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7903-5438 (2022) Compositional process and critical product. In: Matthews, S. , (eds.) The Waste Land after one hundred years. Essays and Studies Boydell and Brewer (75). , Woodbridge. pp. 157-178. ISBN: 9781843846369
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De Marchi, P.
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Robinson, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7903-5438 (2022) Reports after the fire: selected poems. Shearsman Books , Swindon. pp 186. ISBN: 9781848617988
- Fisher, R. , eds. (2022) The Citizen and the Making of city. Bloodaxe Books , Hexham. pp 288. ISBN: 9781780375960
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Robinson, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7903-5438 (2022) An equivocal echo: Eugenio Montale. In: Speri, S. and Dedes, Y. , (eds.) Faces of the Infinite: Neo-Platonism and Poetry at the Confluence of Africa, Asia, and Europe. Proceedings of the British Academy , 240. The British Academy , London. pp. 355-372. ISBN: 9780197267257
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Robinson, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7903-5438 (2021) The personal art: essays, reviews and memoirs. Shearsman Books , Swindon. pp 439. ISBN: 9781848617438
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Robinson, P.
ORCID: 0000-0002-7903-5438 (2020) 'On the power of sound': the 'moral music' of William Wordsworth at work in later life. In: Tyler, D. , (eds.) Poetry in the making: creativity and composition in Victorian poetic drafts. Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 33-52. ISBN: 9780198784562
- Robinson, P. (2020) Poetry & Money: A Speculation. Liverpool University Press , Liverpool. ISBN: 9781789622539
- Robinson, P. and Inshaw, D. (2020) Bonjour Mr Inshaw: Poems by Peter Robinson / Paintings by David Inshaw. Two Rivers Press , Reading, UK. pp 58. ISBN: 9781909747562
- Robinson, P. (2019) Aphoristic gaps and theories of the image. In: Boyiopoulos, K. and Shallcross, M. , (eds.) Aphoristic Modernity: 1880 to the Present. Literary Modernism Brill (6). , Leiden, Holland. pp. 21-36. ISBN: 9789004400047
- Robinson, P. (2019) 'I like the Spanish title': William Carlos Williams's Al Que Quiere!. In: Harding, J. and Nash, J. , (eds.) Modernism & Non-Translation. Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 86-103. ISBN: 9780198821441
- Robinson, P. (2019) The edge of satire: post-mortem and other effects. In: Bullard, P. , (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Eighteenth-Century Satire. Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 628-644. ISBN: 9780198727835
- Robinson, P. (2019) The constitutionals: a fiction. Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 295. ISBN: 9781909747487
- Robinson, P. (2019) Ravishing Europa. Worple Press , Tonbridge. pp 95. ISBN: 9701905208432
- Robinson, P. (2018) Dylan Thomas: 'on out of sound'. In: Allen, E. , (eds.) Reading Dylan Thomas. Edinburgh University Press , Edinburgh. pp. 71-88. ISBN: 9781474411554
- Robinson, P. (2018) The sound sense of poetry. Cambridge University Press , Cambridge. pp 230. ISBN: 9781108422963
- Robinson, P. (2018) Roy Fisher's musicians. In: Monson, J. , (eds.) British Prose Poetry: The Poems without Lines. Palgrave Macmillan , Cham, Switzerland. pp. 299-315. ISBN: 9783319778624
- Robinson, P. (2017) Respecting a decision: the experts, the people, and the politicians. University of Durham , Durham.
- Draycott, J. , Leder, C. , Robinson, P. , eds. (2017) Stanley Spencer poems: an anthology. Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 107. ISBN: 978190974272
- Robinson, P. (2017) Approaches to distance: selected poems from Japan. Isobar Press , Tokyo and London. pp 115. ISBN: 9784907359188 (Translations by Miki Iwata)
- Robinson, P. (2017) The subject of 'Shake-speares Sonnets' and afterlife in lyric poetry. In: Levenson, J. and Ormsby, R. , (eds.) The Shakespearean World. Routledge , London. pp. 263-280. ISBN: 9780415732529
- Robinson, P. (2017) F. T. Prince: truth in style. In: May, W. , (eds.) Reading F. T. Prince. Liverpool English Texts and Studies Liverpool University Press (67). , Liverpool. pp. 51-76. ISBN: 9781781383339
- Robinson, P. (2017) Collected poems 1976-2016. Shearsman Books , Bristol. pp 517. ISBN: 9781848615243
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2016) Henry James poems: a keepsake of samples. The British Library , London. pp 39. ISBN: 9780712344764
- Robinson, P. (2016) Balkan diary. In: Barlow, A. , (eds.) English After Brexit. English Association issues in English The English Association (11). , Leicester. pp. 36-46. ISBN: 9780900232329
- Fisher, R. , eds. (2016) Slakki: new and neglected poems. Bloodaxe Book , Hexham. pp 79. ISBN: 9781780373225
- Robinson, P. (2016) Edward Lear: celebrity chef. In: Williams, J. and Bevis, M. , (eds.) Edward Lear and the play of poetry. Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 115-133. ISBN: 9780198708568
- Robinson, P. (2016) September in the rain: a novel. Holland House Books , Newbury. pp 270. ISBN: 9781910688106
- Pilling, J. and Robinson, P. , eds. (2015) The Rilke of Ruth Speirs: new poems, Duino Elegies, Sonnets to Orpheus & others. Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 187. ISBN: 9781909747128
- Robinson, P. (2015) "Battles long ago": J.H. Prynne and "The Solitary Reaper". Literary Imagination ISSN: 1752-6566 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/litimag/imv039
- Robinson, P. (2015) Sex, lies and poetry: the ballad of Reading Gaol. The Cambridge Quarterly , 44 (4). pp. 299-320. ISSN: 1471-6836 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/camqtly/bfv024
- Robinson, P. (2015) The draft will. Isobar Press , Tokyo. pp 101. ISBN: 9784907359119
- Prince, F. , eds. (2015) Memoirs of Caravaggio. Perdika Press , Enfield. pp 26. ISBN: 9781905649198
- Robinson, P. (2015) Buried music. Shearsman Books , Bristol. pp 96. ISBN: 9781848613898
- Fisher, R. , eds. (2014) An easily bewildered child: occasional prose 1963-2013. Shearsman Books , Bristol. pp 198. ISBN: 9781848613003
- Robinson, P. and Blamires, A. , eds. (2014) The arts of peace: an anthology of poetry. Two Rivers Press and the English Association , Reading. pp 116. ISBN: 9781909747043
- Robinson, P. (2014) Punching yourself in the face: Don Paterson and his readers. In: Pollard, N. , (eds.) Don Paterson: contemporary critical essays. Edinburgh University Press , Edinburgh. pp. 131-144. ISBN: 9780748669417
- Robinson, P. (2013) The poetry of modern life: on the pavement. In: Bevis, M. , (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Victorian Poetry. Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 254-272. ISBN: 9780199576463
- Robinson, P. (2013) Like the living end. The Worple Press , Tonbridge, Kent. pp 36. ISBN: 9781905208197
- Robinson, P. and Perrymann, M. , eds. (2013) The selected poetry and prose of Vittorio Sereni. University of Chicago Press pp 441. ISBN: 9780226055541
- Robinson, P. (2013) Foreigners, drunks and babies: eleven stories. Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 176. ISBN: 9781901677935
- Robinson, P. (2013) Shakespeare's loose ends and the contemporary poet. In: Post, J. , (eds.) The Oxford Handbook of Shakespeare's Poetry. Oxford handbooks of literature Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 599-617. ISBN: 9780199607747
- Robinson, P. (2013) Conflicts in form: The politics of Roy Fisher's 'City'. In: Klawitter, U. and Viol, C. , (eds.) Contemporary Political Poetry in Britain and Ireland. Anglistik & englischunterricht Series Universitatsverlag Winter , Heidelberg. pp. 95-116. ISBN: 9783825361457
- Robinson, P. (2013) Roy Fisher's spatial prepositions and other little words. In: Alexander, N. and Cooper, D. , (eds.) Poetry & Geography: Space and Place in Post-War Poetry. Liverpool University Press , Liverpool. pp. 204-216. ISBN: 9781846318641
- Robinson, P. (2013) Hardy's poets as his critics. In: Mallett, P. , (eds.) Thomas Hardy in Context. Cambridge University Press , Cambridge. pp. 99-109. ISBN: 9780521196482
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2013) The Oxford handbook of contemporary British and Irish poetry. The Oxford Handbook. Oxford University Press , Oxford. ISBN: 9780199596805
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2012) Bernard Spencer: essays on his poetry & life. Shearsman Books , Bristol. pp 223. ISBN: 9781848612549
- Robinson, P. (2012) 'That fighting was a long way off': desert and jungle war poems. In: Piette, A. and Rawlinson, M. , (eds.) The Edinburgh companion to twentieth-century British and American war literature. Edinburgh University Press , Edinburgh. pp. 448-455. ISBN: 9780748638741
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2012) A mutual friend: poems for Charles Dickens. Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 120. ISBN: 9781901677782
- Robinson, P. (2012) The returning sky. Shearsman Books , Bristol. pp 108. ISBN: 9781848611863
- Robinson, P. (2011) Next to nothing. News International , London. (The Times Literary Supplement no.5626)
- Robinson, P. (2011) 'John James' and 'The White Stones' p. 71: Music, rhyme, and home. Poetry Wales , 47 (2). pp. 37-44. ISSN: 0332-2202
- Robinson, P. (2011) A mystery murder. London Magazine , London. (London Magazine)
- Carmagno, F. and Robinson, P. (2011) Peter Robinson. Aforistica/mente Rivista
- Robinson, P. (2011) Costume drama. (ed. Fern Downham-Whittle and Kirsty Gurney ISBN 9780704915312)
- Robinson, P. (2011) Six translated Italian poems: The many voices of Italian literature. World Literature Today , 85 (4). ISSN: 0196-3570
- Robinson, P. (2011) Like the living end. In: Bowen, P. , Furniss, D. , Woolley, D. , (eds.) The captain's tower: seventy poets celebrate Bob Dylan at seventy . Seren , Bridgend. ISBN: 9781854115607
- Robinson, P. (2011) Doctrines of unripe times. (ed. Fern Downham-Whittle and Kirsty Gurney ISBN 9780704915312)
- Robinson, P. (2011) John Matthias: speaking personally. In: Doerr, J. , (eds.) The Salt Companion to John Matthias . Salt Publishing pp. 64-85. ISBN: 9781844718979
- Robinson, P. (2011) Thomas Hardy. In: Rawson, C. , (eds.) The Cambridge Companion to English Poets . Cambridge Companions to Literature Cambridge University Press pp. 439-456. ISBN: 9780521874342
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2011) Poems by Antonia Pozzi [translated by Peter Robinson]. OneWorld Classics pp 191. ISBN: 9781847491855
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2011) Reading poetry: an anthology . Two Rivers Press , Reading. pp 160. ISBN: 9781901677720
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2011) Complete poetry, translations & selected prose of Bernard Spencer . Bloodaxe Books pp 352. ISBN: 1852248912
- Robinson, P. (2010) Practical Utopianism [poetry]. Notre Dame Review , Winter/Spr (29). pp. 4-4. ISSN: 1082-1864
- Robinson, P. (2010) Credit flow [poetry]. Alhambra Publishing
- Robinson, P. (2010) Shadowy Nobodies [poetry]. The Warwick Review , 4 (1). pp. 124-125.
- Robinson, P. (2010) ‘The Returning Sky’ and ‘Wood Notes’ [poetry]. The London Magazine , Oct-Nov 20 pp. 92-93. ISSN: 0024-6085
- Robinson, P. (2010) ‘Reading Gaol’; ‘Eastern Avenue’ [poetry]. The Use of English , 61 (2). pp. 135-136. ISSN: 0042-1243
- Robinson, P. (2010) ‘Otterspool Prom’, ‘Fence Palings’ and ‘World Enough’ [poetry] . Paper Planes: University of Reading Creative Arts Anthology
- Robinson, P. (2010) Quiet regrets. The London Magazine (Aug-Sept). ISSN: 0024-6085
- Robinson, P. (2010) ‘Anything but gentle': Henry Moore revisited. The London Magazine , 2010 (June/July). ISSN: 0024-6085
- Robinson, P. (2010) Bernard Spencer: 'The wind-blown island of Mykonos' and 'Questions asked of a poet'. The Bow-Wow Shop , 6 pp. 14-14.
- Robinson, P. (2010) An uncollected poem and the 'Madrid Journal' by Bernard Spencer. The London Magazine , 2010-2011 (Dec-Jan). ISSN: 0024-6085
- Robinson, P. (2010) Translating Luciano Erba: a conversation with Peter Robinson. Annals of the University of Craiova , 32 (1-2). pp. 195-204. ISSN: 1224-5720
- Robinson, P. (2010) In the Lombard line. Times Literary Supplement (5605). ISSN: 0307-661X
- Robinson, P. (2010) Christina Rossetti’s promises. Essays in Criticism , 60 (2). pp. 148-167. ISSN: 1471-6852 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/escrit/cgq001
- Robinson, P. (2010) John Tranter and tradition. In: Mengham, R. , (eds.) The Salt companion to John Tranter . Salt companions to poetry Salt Publishing , UK. ISBN: 9781876857769
- Robinson, P. (2010) 'Written at least as well as prose': Ford, Pound, and poetry. In: Harding , J. , (eds.) Ford Madox Ford, modernist magazines and editing. Rodopi , Amsterdam and New York. pp. 99-114. ISBN: 9789042030558
- Robinson, P. (2010) English nettles and other poems. Two Rivers Press , Reading, UK. pp 56. ISBN: 9781901677652
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2010) An unofficial Roy Fisher. Shearsman Books pp 221. ISBN: 9781848611207
- Robinson, P. (2010) Poetry and translation: the art of the impossible. Liverpool University Press , UK. pp 196. ISBN: 9781846312182
- Robinson, P. (2009) Old incurables. Poetry London , 64 pp. 25-27. ISSN: 1479-2591
- Robinson, P. (2009) Love translated. Poetry London , 62 pp. 32-34. ISSN: 1479-2591
- Robinson, P. (2009) Borrowed armour [poetry]. Poetry Ireland Review , 97 pp. 95-101. ISSN: 0332-2998
- Robinson, P. (2009) Bernard Spencer at Reading. In: Hunt, V. , (eds.) Catalogue of the Bernard Spencer Collection at the University of Reading. University of Reading , Reading. pp. 11-19.
- Robinson, P. (2009) Poet on his work: behind 'Otterspool Prom'. The Reader , 36 pp. 49-53.
- Robinson, P. (2009) Bernard Spencer in 'The London Magazine' . The London Magazine pp. 66-72. ISSN: 0024-6085
- Robinson, P. (2009) Bernard Spencer (1909-1962): a centenary supplement. Agenda , 44 No 4 / pp. 234-262. ISSN: 0002-0796
- Robinson, P. (2009) "What sorts of poetry were you reading?" A conversation with Peter Robinson . The Use of English , 60 pp. 215-223. ISSN: 0042-1243
- Robinson, P. (2009) Bernard Spencer's 'Boat Poem'. English , 58 (223). pp. 318-339. ISSN: 1756-1124 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/english/efp030
- Robinson, P. (2009) 'Readings will grow erratic' in Philip Larkin's 'Deceptions'. The Cambridge Quarterly , 38 (3). pp. 277-305. ISSN: 1471-6836 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/camqtly/bfp010
- Robinson, P. (2009) Spirits of the stair: selected aphorisms. Shearsman Books , Exeter. pp 149. ISBN: 9781848600620
- Robinson, P. (2008) An English belli . The Dark Horse pp. 81-88.
- Robinson, P. (2008) Grace and authenticity . Poetry London , 60 pp. 36-39. ISSN: 1479-2591
- Robinson, P. (2008) Show and tell [poetry]. Poetry Ireland Review pp. 103-107. ISSN: 0332-2998
- Robinson, P. (2008) Naked for the Master [poetry]. Times Literary Supplement pp. 26-27. ISSN: 0307-661X
- Robinson, P. (2008) Travellers [poetry] & The apple [poetry] . Poetry Ireland Review pp. 46-47. ISSN: 0332-2998
- Robinson, P. (2008) Leichenpass [poetry]. Neue Rundschau , 119 pp. 28-29.
- Robinson, P. (2008) Ode to debt [poetry]. The Warwick Review , 2 (2). pp. 20-21.
- Robinson, P. (2008) Otterspool Prom [poetry]. Times Literary Supplement pp. 11-12. ISSN: 0307-661X
- Robinson, P. (2008) Pension scheme [poetry]. Poetry Ireland Review pp. 58-59. ISSN: 0332-2998
- Robinson, P. (2008) Clear as daylight [poetry] & Like a foreign country [poetry] & Peripheral visions [poetry]. Agenda , 43/44 pp. 221-223.
- Robinson, P. (2008) A little exercise [poetry] & In the playground [poetry] & Cemetery junction [poetry] . The Reader pp. 17-19.
- Robinson, P. (2008) World enough [poetry] & Huntley & Palmers [poetry]. Poems in English , 57 pp. 82-83.
- Robinson, P. (2008) Twists in the plotting: Bernard Spencer’s second book of poems. Publishing History , 62 pp. 81-102.
- Robinson, P. (2008) The look of goodbye: poems 2001-2006. Shearsman Books , Exeter. pp 140. ISBN: 9781905700455
- Robinson, P. (2007) No apologies and no prizes. Jacket2 , 34 ISSN: 1440-4737
- Robinson, P. (2007) Exact as horror. Notre Dame Review , 24 (Summer/Fal). pp. 219-227. ISSN: 1082-1864
- Robinson, P. (2007) Rilke, thou art translated. Agenda , 42 (3-4). pp. 153-163. ISSN: 0002-0796 (special issue 'A reconsideration of Rainer Maria Rilke')
- Robinson, P. (2007) Captain Benwick's reading. Essays in Criticism , 57 (2). pp. 147-170. ISSN: 1471-6852 | doi: https://dx.doi.org/10.1093/escrit/cgm004
- Robinson, P. (2007) Peter Robinson: a bibliography, 1976-2006. In: Piette, A. and Price, K. , (eds.) The Salt Companion to Peter Robinson. Salt Companions to poetry Salt Publishing , Cambridge. pp. 253-263. ISBN: 9781844712441
- Robinson, P. (2007) Wittgenstein's aesthetics and revision. In: Roe, J. and Stanco, M. , (eds.) Inspirations and technique: ancient to modern views on beauty and art. Peter Lang , Oxford. pp. 261-276. ISBN: 9783039103140
- Robinson, P. (2007) C. Hatakeyama and W.E.. In: Bevis, M. , (eds.) Some versions of Empson. Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 60-83. ISBN: 9780199286362
- Robinson, P. (2007) 'Down in the terraces between the targets': civilians. In: Kendall, T. , (eds.) The Oxford handbook of British and Irish war poetry. Oxford University Press , Oxford. pp. 504-523. ISBN: 9780199282661
- Robinson, P. and Perryman, M. , eds. (2006) The selected poetry and pose of Vittorio Sereni: a bilingual edition. University of Chicago Press , Chicago. pp 368. ISBN: 9780226748788
- Robinson, P. , eds. (2006) The greener meadow: selected poems of Luciano Erba. Princeton University Press , Princeton. pp 288. ISBN: 9780691127644