The inclusive nature of [Poems, 1955–1980] confronts the reader with the paradoxical problem of being simultaneously exposed to Fisher's enormous versatility as a poet and to his weakness for a falsely elevated urbane wit. At his best (and there are easily 15 poems in this collection that stand among the best of modern and postmodern British poetry), Fisher writes a clear, tense poem that is at once clipped and musical. He is strongest in his long poems, which allow him to spread out his sparse observations of modern dilemmas so that the poems have a cumulative effect. The long poems, "Handsworth liberties" and "Wonders of obligation," are remarkable for their sustained vision and their clarity. It is only when Fisher opts for a terse, provincial point of view that the poems become talky and indirect. Fisher stands among the best poets writing in Britain today….

"Language and Literature: 'Poems'," in...