A verse novel is a type of

narrative poetry Narrative poetry is a form of poetry that tells a story, often using the voices of both a narrator and characters; the entire story is usually written in metered verse. Narrative poems do not need rhyme. The poems that make up this genre may be ...

in which a

novel A novel is a relatively long work of narrative fiction, typically written in prose and published as a book. The present English word for a long work of prose fiction derives from the for "new", "news", or "short story of something new", itsel ...

-length narrative is told through the medium of

poetry Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings i ...

rather than

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the f ...

. Either simple or complex

stanza In poetry, a stanza (; from Italian language, Italian ''stanza'' , "room") is a group of lines within a poem, usually set off from others by a blank line or Indentation (typesetting), indentation. Stanzas can have regular rhyme scheme, rhyme and ...

ic verse-forms may be used, but there will usually be a large cast, multiple voices, dialogue, narration, description, and action in a novelistic manner.

History

Verse narratives are as old as the ''Epic of

Gilgamesh sux, , label=none , image = Hero lion Dur-Sharrukin Louvre AO19862.jpg , alt = , caption = Possible representation of Gilgamesh as Master of Animals, grasping a lion in his left arm and snake in his right hand, in an Assy ...

'', the ''

Iliad The ''Iliad'' (; grc, Ἰλιάς, Iliás, ; "a poem about Ilium") is one of two major ancient Greek epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by modern audiences. As with the '' Odys ...

'', and the ''

Odyssey The ''Odyssey'' (; grc, Ὀδύσσεια, Odýsseia, ) is one of two major Ancient Greek literature, ancient Greek Epic poetry, epic poems attributed to Homer. It is one of the oldest extant works of literature still widely read by moder ...

'', but the verse novel is a distinct modern form. Although the narrative structure is similar to that of a novella, the organisation of the story is usually in a series of short sections, often with changing perspectives. Verse novels are often told with multiple narrators, potentially providing readers with a view into the inner workings of the characters' minds. Some verse novels, following

Byron George Gordon Byron, 6th Baron Byron (22 January 1788 – 19 April 1824), known simply as Lord Byron, was an English romantic poet and peer. He was one of the leading figures of the Romantic movement, and has been regarded as among the ...

mock-heroic Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature. Typically, mock-heroic works either put a fool in the role of the hero or exaggerate the heroic ...

Don Juan Don Juan (), also known as Don Giovanni ( Italian), is a legendary, fictional Spanish libertine who devotes his life to seducing women. Famous versions of the story include a 17th-century play, ''El burlador de Sevilla y convidado de piedra'' ...

'' (1818–24) employ an informal, colloquial register. ''

Eugene Onegin ''Eugene Onegin, A Novel in Verse'' (Reforms of Russian orthography, pre-reform Russian: ; post-reform rus, Евгений Оне́гин, ромáн в стихáх, p=jɪvˈɡʲenʲɪj ɐˈnʲeɡʲɪn, r=Yevgeniy Onegin, roman v stikhakh) is ...

'' (1831) by

Alexander Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

is a classical example, and with '' Pan Tadeusz'' (1834) by

Adam Mickiewicz Adam Bernard Mickiewicz (; 24 December 179826 November 1855) was a Polish poet, dramatist, essayist, publicist, translator and political activist. He is regarded as national poet in Poland, Lithuania and Belarus. A principal figure in Polish Ro ...

is often taken as the seminal example of the modern genre. The major nineteenth-century verse novels that ground the form in Anglophone letters include ''

The Bothie of Toper-na-fuisich ''The'' () is a grammatical Article (grammar), article in English language, English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite ...

'' (1848) and '' Amours de Voyage'' (1858) by Arthur Hugh Clough, ''

Aurora Leigh ''Aurora Leigh'' (1856) is an epic poem/novel by Elizabeth Barrett Browning. The poem is written in blank verse and encompasses nine books (the woman's number, the number of the Sibylline Books). It is a first-person narration, from the point o ...

'' (1857) by Elizabeth Barrett Browning, '' Lucile'' (1860) by 'Owen Meredith' (

Robert Bulwer-Lytton Edward Robert Lytton Bulwer-Lytton, 1st Earl of Lytton, (8 November 183124 November 1891) was an English statesman, Conservative politician and poet who used the pseudonym Owen Meredith. He served as Viceroy of India between 1876 and 1880durin ...

), and ''

The Ring and the Book ''The Ring and the Book'' is a long dramatic narrative poem, and, more specifically, a verse novel, of 21,000 lines, written by Robert Browning. It was published in four volumes from 1868 to 1869 by Smith, Elder & Co. Plot outline The boo ...

'' (1868-9) by Robert Browning. The form appears to have declined with

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

, but has since the 1960s-70s undergone a remarkable revival.

Vladimir Nabokov Vladimir Vladimirovich Nabokov (russian: link=no, Владимир Владимирович Набоков ; 2 July 1977), also known by the pen name Vladimir Sirin (), was a Russian-American novelist, poet, translator, and entomologist. Bo ...

's ''

Pale Fire ''Pale Fire'' is a 1962 novel by Vladimir Nabokov. The novel is presented as a 999-line poem titled "Pale Fire", written by the fictional poet John Shade, with a foreword, lengthy commentary and index written by Shade's neighbor and academic co ...

'' (1962) takes the form of a 999-line

poem Poetry (derived from the Greek ''poiesis'', "making"), also called verse, is a form of literature that uses aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language − such as phonaesthetics, sound symbolism, and metre − to evoke meanings in ...

four

canto The canto () is a principal form of division in medieval and modern long poetry. Etymology and equivalent terms The word ''canto'' is derived from the Italian word for "song" or "singing", which comes from the Latin ''cantus'', "song", from the ...

s, though the plot of the novel unfolds in the commentary. Of particular note,

Vikram Seth Vikram Seth (born 20 June 1952) is an Indian novelist and poet. He has written several novels and poetry books. He has won several awards such as Padma Shri, Sahitya Academy Award, Pravasi Bharatiya Samman, WH Smith Literary Award and Crosswor ...

's '' The Golden Gate'' (1986) was a surprise bestseller, and Derek Walcott's ''

Omeros ' is an epic poem by Saint Lucian writer Derek Walcott, first published in 1990. The work is divided into seven "books" containing a total of sixty-four chapters. Many critics view ''Omeros'' as Walcott's finest work. In 2022, it was included ...

'' (1990) a more predictable success. The form has been particularly popular in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean Se ...

, with work since 1980 by Walcott,

Edward Kamau Brathwaite The Honourable Edward Kamau Brathwaite, CHB (; 11 May 1930 – 4 February 2020), was a Barbadian poet and academic, widely considered one of the major voices in the Caribbean literary canon.Staff (2011)"Kamau Brathwaite." New York University, D ...

David Dabydeen David Dabydeen (born 9 December 1955) is a Guyanese-born broadcaster, novelist, poet and academic. He was formerly Guyana's Ambassador to UNESCO (United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organisation) from 1997 to 2010 and the youngest Memb ...

Kwame Dawes Kwame Senu Neville Dawes (born 28 July 1962) is a Ghanaian poet, actor, editor, critic, musician, and former Louis Frye Scudder Professor of Liberal Arts at the University of South Carolina. He is now Professor of English at the University of N ...

, Ralph Thompson,

George Elliott Clarke George Elliott Clarke, (born February 12, 1960) is a Canadian poet, playwright and literary critic who served as the Poet Laureate of Toronto from 2012 to 2015 and as the 2016–2017 Canadian Parliamentary Poet Laureate. His work is known larg ...

and

Fred D'Aguiar Fred D'Aguiar (born 2 February 1960) is a British-Guyanese poet, novelist, and playwright. He is currently Professor of English at the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Life Fred D'Aguiar was born in London, England, in 1960 t ...

, and in Australia and New Zealand, with work since 1990 by Les Murray, John Tranter,

Dorothy Porter Dorothy Featherstone Porter (26 March 1954 – 10 December 2008) was an Australian poet. She was a recipient of the Christopher Brennan Award for lifetime achievement in poetry. Early life Porter was born in Sydney. Her father was barrister ...

Lisa Jacobson Lisa or LISA may refer to: People People with the mononym * Lisa Lisa (born 1967), American actress and lead singer of the Cult Jam * Lisa (Japanese musician, born 1974), stylized "LISA", Japanese singer and producer * Lisa Komine (born 1978), J ...

, Chris Orsman,

David Foster David Walter Foster (born November 1, 1949) is a Canadian musician, composer, arranger, record producer and music executive who chaired Verve Records from 2012 to 2016. He has won 16 Grammy Awards from 47 nominations. His music career spans mor ...

Alistair Te Ariki Campbell Alistair Te Ariki Campbell ONZM (25 June 1925 – 16 August 2009) was a poet, playwright, and novelist. Born in the Cook Islands, he was the son of a Cook Island Māori mother and a Pākehā father, who both died when he was young, leading to h ...

, and Robert Sullivan. Australian poet-author Alan Wearne's ''Night Markets'', and sequels, are major verse novels of urban social life and satire. The Australian poet, C.J. Dennis, had great success in Australia during World War I with his verse novels, ''

The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke ''The Songs of a Sentimental Bloke'' is a verse novel by Australian poet and journalist C. J. Dennis. Portions of the work appeared in '' The Bulletin'' between 1909 and 1915, the year the verse novel was completed and published by Angus & Rober ...

'' (1915), and ''The Moods of Ginger Mick'' (1916). The first tells of an urban ruffian with a heart of gold who marries and becomes a father and a farmer in Melbourne, Australia, shortly before the start of World War I in 1914. The second is the story of another urban ruffian, and good friend of The Bloke, who enlists in the Australian Army, and dies in the early battles at Gallipoli in 1915. The American author, poet, dramatist, screenwriter and suffragist and feminist,

Alice Duer Miller Alice Duer Miller (July 28, 1874 – August 22, 1942) was an American writer whose poetry actively influenced political opinion. Her feminist verses influenced political opinion during the American suffrage movement, and her verse novel ''The W ...

published her verse novel, ''Forsaking All Others'' (1935), about a tragic love affair, and had a surprising hit with her verse novel, ''The White Cliffs'' (1940: later dramatised and filmed, but retaining and expanding the poems as voice-over narration, as ''The White Cliffs of Dover'' (1944). This told the story of a young American woman who goes to England in mid-1914, for a fortnight, falls in love with a British aristocrat, and marries him: he is killed in the last days of the First World War in 1918, and when World War II breaks out in 1939, she must decide whether or not to let her son join the army to fight for England. The story helped sway American sentiment towards helping the British, and was a best-seller. Miller’s poem-chapters were mainly traditional couplets, quatrains, and sonnets. They used several different voices, as well as letters from different characters. The parallel history of the verse autobiography, from strong Victorian foundation with

Wordsworth William Wordsworth (7 April 177023 April 1850) was an English Romantic poet who, with Samuel Taylor Coleridge, helped to launch the Romantic Age in English literature with their joint publication ''Lyrical Ballads'' (1798). Wordsworth's '' ...

's ''The Prelude'' (1805, 1850), to decline with Modernism and later twentieth-century revival with

John Betjeman Sir John Betjeman (; 28 August 190619 May 1984) was an English poet, writer, and broadcaster. He was Poet Laureate from 1972 until his death. He was a founding member of The Victorian Society and a passionate defender of Victorian architecture, ...

's ''

Summoned by Bells ''Summoned by Bells'', the blank verse autobiography by John Betjeman, describes his life from his early memories of a middle-class home in Edwardian Hampstead, London, to his premature departure from Magdalen College, Oxford. The book was firs ...

'' (1960), Walcott's ''Another Life'' (1973), and

James Merrill James Ingram Merrill (March 3, 1926 – February 6, 1995) was an American poet. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for poetry in 1977 for ''Divine Comedies.'' His poetry falls into two distinct bodies of work: the polished and formalist lyri ...

's ''

The Changing Light at Sandover ''The Changing Light at Sandover'' is a 560-page epic poem by James Merrill (1926–1995). Sometimes described as a postmodern apocalyptic epic, the poem was published in three volumes from 1976 to 1980, and as one volume "with a new cod ...

'' (1982), is also striking. The forms are distinct, but many verse novels plainly deploy autobiographical elements, and the recent Commonwealth examples almost all offer detailed representation of the (problems besetting) post-imperial and post-colonial identity, and so are inevitably strongly personal works. There is also a distinct cluster of verse novels for younger readers, most notably

Karen Hesse Karen S. Hesse (born August 29, 1952) is an American author of children's literature and literature for young adults, often with historical settings. She won the Newbery Medal for ''Out of the Dust'' (1997). Early years and education Karen Hess ...

's ''

Out of the Dust ''Out of the Dust'' is a children's verse novel by Karen Hesse, first published on January 1, 1997. Summary Billie Jo begins with how her father wanted to have a son instead of a daughter. He still loves her but treats her like the son he ne ...

'' (1997), which won a

Newbery Medal The John Newbery Medal, frequently shortened to the Newbery, is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), to the author of "the most distinguished cont ...

. Hesse followed it with ''

Witness In law, a witness is someone who has knowledge about a matter, whether they have sensed it or are testifying on another witnesses' behalf. In law a witness is someone who, either voluntarily or under compulsion, provides testimonial evidence, e ...

'' (2001). Since then, many new titles have cropped up, with authors

Sonya Sones Sonya Sones is an American poet and author. She has written seven young adult novels in verse, and one novel in verse for adults. The ALA has named her one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century. In 2004, 2005, 2010, and 2 ...

Ellen Hopkins Ellen Louise Hopkins (born March 26, 1955) is a novelist who has published several ''New York Times'' bestseller, bestselling novels that are popular among the teenage and young adult audience. Personal life Hopkins was adopted by Albert and Val ...

, Steven Herrick,

Margaret Wild Margaret Wild (born 1948) is an Australian children's writer. She has written more than 40 books for children. Her work has been published around the world and has won several awards. She was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Childre ...

Nikki Grimes Nikki Grimes (born October 20, 1950) is an American author of books written for children and young adults, as well as a poet and journalist. Background and career Grimes was born in Harlem, New York. In a conversation with a Reading Is Fundament ...

Virginia Euwer Wolff Virginia Euwer Wolff (born August 25, 1937) is an American author of children's literature. Her award-winning series ''Make Lemonade'' features a 14-year-old girl named LaVaughn, who babysits for the children of a 17-year-old single mother. There ...

, Ann Warren Turner, Lorie Ann Grover, Brenda Seabrooke,

Paul B. Janeczko Paul Bryan Janeczko (July 27, 1945 - February 19, 2019) was an American poet and anthologist. He published 40 books beginning in the 1980s, including poetry compilations, non-fiction guides for young writers, and books for teachers. Early life ...

, and Mel Glenn all publishing multiple titles. Debut YA authors, Holly Thompson, Cathy Ostlere, Sarah Tregay, and others have added new titles to the shelves in 2011.

Thanhha Lai Thanhha Lai (Vietnamese: ''Lai T. Thanh Hà''; born January 1, 1965) is a Vietnamese-American writer of children's literature. She won the 2011 National Book Award for Young People's Literature and a Newbery Honor for her debut novel, ''Inside Out ...

's ''

Inside Out & Back Again ''Inside Out & Back Again'' is a verse novel, written in free verse by Thanhha Lai. The book was awarded the 2011 US National Book Award for Young People's Literature and one of the two Newbery Honors. The novel was based on her first year in th ...

'' (2011) won the

National Book Award The National Book Awards are a set of annual U.S. literary awards. At the final National Book Awards Ceremony every November, the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards and two lifetime achievement awards to authors. The Nat ...

Versification

Long classical verse narratives were in stichic forms, prescribing a metre but not specifying any interlineal relations. This tradition is represented in English letters by the use of

blank verse Blank verse is poetry written with regular metrical but unrhymed lines, almost always in iambic pentameter. It has been described as "probably the most common and influential form that English poetry has taken since the 16th century", and Pa ...

(unrhymed

iambic pentameter Iambic pentameter () is a type of metric line used in traditional English poetry and verse drama. The term describes the rhythm, or meter, established by the words in that line; rhythm is measured in small groups of syllables called " feet". "Iam ...

), as by both Brownings and many later poets. But since

Petrarch Francesco Petrarca (; 20 July 1304 – 18/19 July 1374), commonly anglicized as Petrarch (), was a scholar and poet of early Renaissance Italy, and one of the earliest humanists. Petrarch's rediscovery of Cicero's letters is often credited ...

and

Dante Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

complex stanza forms have also been used for verse narratives, including ''

terza rima ''Terza rima'' (, also , ; ) is a rhyming verse form, in which the poem, or each poem-section, consists of tercets (three line stanzas) with an interlocking three-line rhyme scheme: The last word of the second line in one tercet provides the rh ...

'' (ABA BCB CDC etc.) and ''

ottava rima Ottava rima is a rhyming stanza form of Italian origin. Originally used for long poems on heroic themes, it later came to be popular in the writing of mock-heroic works. Its earliest known use is in the writings of Giovanni Boccaccio. The ott ...

'' (ABABABCC), and modern poets have experimented widely with adaptations and combinations of stanza-forms. The stanza most specifically associated with the verse novel is the

Onegin stanza Onegin stanza ( Russian: онегинская строфа ''oneginskaya strofa''), sometimes "Pushkin sonnet'' refers to the verse form popularized (or invented) by the Russian poet Alexander Pushkin through his 1825-1832 novel in verse ''Eugene ...

, invented by

Pushkin Alexander Sergeyevich Pushkin (; rus, links=no, Александр Сергеевич ПушкинIn pre-Revolutionary script, his name was written ., r=Aleksandr Sergeyevich Pushkin, p=ɐlʲɪkˈsandr sʲɪrˈɡʲe(j)ɪvʲɪtɕ ˈpuʂkʲɪn, ...

in ''

''. It is an adapted form of the

Shakespearean sonnet A sonnet is a poetic form that originated in the poetry composed at the Court of the Holy Roman Emperor Frederick II in the Sicilian city of Palermo. The 13th-century poet and notary Giacomo da Lentini is credited with the sonnet's invention ...

, retaining the three quatrains plus couplet structure but reducing the metre to

iambic tetrameter Iambic tetrameter is a poetic meter in ancient Greek and Latin poetry; as the name of ''a rhythm'', iambic tetrameter consists of four metra, each metron being of the form , x – u – , , consisting of a spondee and an iamb, or two iambs. Ther ...

and specifying a distinct

rhyme scheme A rhyme scheme is the pattern of rhymes at the end of each line of a poem or song. It is usually referred to by using letters to indicate which lines rhyme; lines designated with the same letter all rhyme with each other. An example of the ABAB r ...

: the first quatrain is cross-rhymed (ABAB), the second couplet-rhymed (''CCDD''), and the third arch-rhymed (or chiasmic, EFFE), so that the whole is ABABCCDDEFFEGG.For detailed discussion of the Onegin stanza see the introduction in ''Eugene Onegin: A Novel in Verse by Aleksandr Pushkin. Translated from the Russian, with a Commentary'' by

(rev. ed., in 4 vols, London: Routledge Kegan Paul, 1975), especially i.10 ff.. Additionally, Pushkin required that the first rhyme in each couplet (the A, C, and E rhymes) be unstressed (or "feminine"), and all others stressed (or "masculine"). In the

notation capitalizing masculine rhymes, this reads as . Not all those using the Onegin stanza have followed the prescription, but both Vikram Seth and Brad Walker notably did so, and the

cadence In Western musical theory, a cadence (Latin ''cadentia'', "a falling") is the end of a phrase in which the melody or harmony creates a sense of full or partial resolution, especially in music of the 16th century onwards.Don Michael Randel (199 ...

of the unstressed rhymes is an important factor in his manipulations of tone.

Recent examples

* '' The Boys Who Stole the Funeral'', Les Murray (Sydney: Angus & Robertson, 1980) * ''The Illusionists'', John Fuller (London: Secker & Warburg, 1980) * '' Midquest: A Poem'',

Fred Chappell Fred Davis Chappell (born May 28, 1936 in Canton, North Carolina) is an author and poet. He was an English professor for 40 years (1964–2004) at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. He was the Poet Laureate of North Carolina from 1 ...

(Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press, 1981) * '' The Nightmarkets'',

Alan Wearne Alan Wearne (born 23 July 1948) is an Australian poet. Early life and education Alan Wearne was born on 23 July 1948 and grew up in Melbourne. He studied history at Monash University, where he met the poets Laurie Duggan and John A. Scott. H ...

(Penguin, 1986) * '' The Golden Gate'',

(London: Faber & Faber, 1986) * '' Love, Death and the Changing of the Seasons'',

Marilyn Hacker Marilyn Hacker (born November 27, 1942) is an American poet, translator and critic. She is Professor of English emerita at the City College of New York. Her books of poetry include ''Presentation Piece'' (1974), which won the National Book Award, ...

(New York: Norton, 1986) * ''Desperate Characters: A Novella in Verse and Other Poems,'' Nicholas Christopher (New York: Viking, 1988) * ''

'', Derek Walcott (London: Faber & Faber, 1990) * ''

Akhenaten Akhenaten (pronounced ), also spelled Echnaton, Akhenaton, ( egy, ꜣḫ-n-jtn ''ʾŪḫə-nə-yātəy'', , meaning "Effective for the Aten"), was an ancient Egyptian pharaoh reigning or 1351–1334 BC, the tenth ruler of the Eighteenth Dy ...

'',

(St Lucia, QLD: University of Queensland Press, 1992) * '' The Floor of Heaven'', John Tranter (Sydney: Collins Angus & Robertson, 1992) * '' The Monkey's Mask: An Erotic Murder Mystery'',

(Sydney: Hyland House Publishing, 1994) * '' History: The Home Movie'',

Craig Raine Craig Anthony Raine, FRSL (born 3 December 1944) is an English contemporary poet. Along with Christopher Reid, he is a notable pioneer of Martian poetry, a movement that expresses alienation with the world, society and objects. He was a fellow o ...

(Harmondsworth: Penguin, 1994) * ''

Turner Turner may refer to: People and fictional characters *Turner (surname), a common surname, including a list of people and fictional characters with the name * Turner (given name), a list of people with the given name *One who uses a lathe for turni ...

'',

(London: Jonathan Cape, 1994) * ''

Prophets In religion, a prophet or prophetess is an individual who is regarded as being in contact with a divine being and is said to speak on behalf of that being, serving as an intermediary with humanity by delivering messages or teachings from the s ...

'',

(Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1995) * '' Jacko Jacobus'',

(Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 1996) * '' South: An Antarctic Journey'', Chris Orsman (Wellington: Victoria University Press, 1996) * ''

Autobiography of Red ''Autobiography of Red'' (1998) is a verse novel by Anne Carson, based loosely on the myth of Geryon and the Tenth Labor of Herakles, especially on surviving fragments of the lyric poet Stesichorus' poem '' Geryoneis''. Summary ''Autobiography ...

'',

Anne Carson Anne Carson (born June 21, 1950) is a Canadian poet, essayist, translator, classicist, and professor. Trained at the University of Toronto, Carson has taught classics, comparative literature, and creative writing at universities across the Unit ...

(New York: Knopf, 1998) * '' ''Bill of Rights'''',

(London: Chatto & Windus, 1998) * '' Fredy Neptune: A Novel in Verse'', Les Murray (Manchester: Carcanet, 1999) * '' Jack, the Lady Killer'', H. R. F. Keating (Hexham: Flambard, 1999) * ''

What a Piece of Work ''What a Piece of Work'' is a 1999 verse novel by Australian poet Dorothy Porter which was shortlisted for the 2000 Miles Franklin Award. Notes * Dedication: for Judith Beveridge * Epigraph: What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason ...

'',

(Sydney: Picador, 1999) * '' ''Bloodlines'''',

(London: Chatto & Windus, 2000) * ''

Whylah Falls ''Whylah Falls'' is a long narrative poem (or "verse novel") by George Elliott Clarke, published in book form in 1990. As with much of Clarke's work, the poem is inspired by the history and culture of the Black Canadian community in Nova Scotia ...

'',

(Vancouver: Polestar, 1990; rev. ed. 2000) * '' Tiepolo's Hound'', Derek Walcott (London: Faber & Faber, 2000) * '' Maori Battalion: A Poetic Sequence'',

(Wellington: Wai-te-ata Press, 2001) * '' The Beauty of the Husband'',

(London: Jonathan Cape, 2001) * ''

Ancestors An ancestor, also known as a forefather, fore-elder or a forebear, is a parent or ( recursively) the parent of an antecedent (i.e., a grandparent, great-grandparent, great-great-grandparent and so forth). ''Ancestor'' is "any person from w ...

'',

(New York: New Directions Press, 2001) * '' The Lovemakers, Book One'',

(Penguin, 2001) * '' Darlington's Fall'',

Brad Leithauser Brad E. Leithauser (born February 27, 1953) is an American poet, novelist, essayist, and teacher. After serving as the Emily Dickinson Lecturer in the Humanities at Mount Holyoke College and visiting professor at the MFA Program for Poets & Writ ...

(New York: Knopf, 2002) *
Time's Fool: A Tale in Verse
',

Glyn Maxwell Glyn Maxwell (born 1962) is a British poet, playwright, novelist, librettist, and lecturer. Early life Of primarily Welsh heritage — his mother Buddug-Mair Powell (b. 1928) acted in the original stage show of Dylan Thomas's ''Under Milk Wood'' ...

(Boston: Mariner Books, 2002) * ''

Wild Surmise ''Wild Surmise'' is a 2002 verse novel by Australian poet Dorothy Porter which was shortlisted for the 2003 Miles Franklin Award. Notes * Dedication: For Andy * Epigraph: 'There felt I like some watcher of the skies, When a new planet swims ...

'',

(Sydney: Picador, 2002) * ''

Captain Cook in the Underworld Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

'', Robert Sullivan (Auckland: Auckland University Press, 2002) *'' 8 Stages of Grace'',

Diane Brown Diane Edith Brown (born 1951) is a novelist and poet from New Zealand. Background Brown was born in 1951. She is based in Dunedin. Career Brown has published several novels and poetry collections including: * ''Before The Divorce We Go T ...

(Vintage, 2002) * '' The Prodigal (verse novel)'', Derek Walcott (London: Faber & Faber, 2004) * ''

The Lovemakers, Book Two ''The'' () is a grammatical article in English, denoting persons or things already mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the m ...

'',

(ABC, 2004) * '' This Barren Land My Bed of Roses (verse novel)'', Ayana Noble (University of Queensland Press, 2006) * '' The Poet Slave of Cuba: A Biography of Juan Francisco Manzano'',

Margarita Engle Margarita Engle (born in Los Angeles, California on September 2, 1951) is a Cuban American poet and author of many award-winning books for children, young adults and adults. Most of Engle's stories are written in verse and are a reflection of h ...

(Juvenile/Children's) (New York: Henry Holt, 2006) * '' Nine Hours North'', Tim Sinclair (Melbourne: Penguin, 2006) * ''

Muscle Skeletal muscles (commonly referred to as muscles) are organs of the vertebrate muscular system and typically are attached by tendons to bones of a skeleton. The muscle cells of skeletal muscles are much longer than in the other types of muscl ...

'', Matthew Schreuder (Sydney: Australian Scholarly Publishing, 2007) * '' El Dorado'',

(Sydney: Picador, 2007) * '' Sharp Teeth'', Toby Barlow (New York: HarperCollins, 2008) * '' Zorgamazoo'', Robert Paul Weston (New York: Penguin/Razorbill, 2008) * '' I & I'',

(Fredericton, New Brunswick: Goose Lane Editions, 2009) * '' View from Mount Diablo'', Ralph Thompson (Leeds: Peepal Tree Press, 2003; rev. & annotated ed., 2009) * '' The Sunlit Zone'',

(Melbourne: Five Islands Press, 2012) * ''Love, Dishonor, Marry, Die, Cherish, Perish: A Novel, ''

David Rakoff David Benjamin Rakoff (November 27, 1964 – August 9, 2012) was a Canadian-born American writer of prose and poetry based in New York City, who wrote humorous and sometimes autobiographical non-fiction essays. Rakoff was an essayist, journ ...

, posthumous (New York: Doubleday, 2013) * '' Castle's Keeper: A Song of Love and Justice'', James T. Sapp (Blue and Gold Publishing, 2015) * '' Nothing Sacred : A Novel in Verse '',

Linda Weste Linda may refer to: As a name * Linda (given name), a female given name (including a list of people and fictional characters so named) * Linda (singer) (born 1977), stage name of Svetlana Geiman, a Russian singer * Anita Linda (born Alice Lake i ...

(Melbourne: Arcadia, 2015) * '' The Long Take'',

Robin Robertson Robin Robertson (born in 1955) is a Scottish poet. Biography Robertson was brought up on the north-east coast of Scotland, but has spent most of his professional life in London. After working as an editor at Penguin Books and Secker and Warb ...

, (Picador, 2018) * '' SPACE: An Odyssey in Rhyme'', James T. Sapp (Blue and Gold Publishing, 2019) * ''Adam and Rosamond'', Brad Walker (Dempsey and Windle, 2019) * ''

The Set-Up (poem) ''The Set-Up'' is a book-length narrative poem, written by Joseph Moncure March. It was first published in the winter of 1928 by Pascal_Covici, Pascal Covici, Inc., after the success of March's first poem The_Wild_Party_(poem), ''The Wild Party'' ( ...

'',

Joseph Moncure March Joseph Moncure March (July 27, 1899 New York City - February 14, 1977 Los Angeles, California) was an American poet and essayist, best known for his long narrative poems '' The Wild Party'' and '' The Set-Up''. Life After serving in World War ...

(Korero Press, 2022)

Novels in verse for teens

* Death Coming Up the Hill, Chris Crowe (New York: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2014) * Psyche in a Dress,

Francesca Lia Block Francesca Lia Block (born December 3, 1962) is an American writer of adult and young-adult literature. She is known for the '' Weetzie Bat'' series, which she began while a student at UC Berkeley. Early life Block was born in Los Angeles to a ...

(2006) * Because I am Furniture, Thalia Chaltas (New York: Viking Juvenile, 2009) * Frenchtown Summer,

Robert Cormier Robert Edmund Cormier (January 17, 1925 – November 2, 2000) was an American author and journalist, known for his deeply pessimistic novels, many of which were written for young adults. Recurring themes include abuse, mental illness, violence, ...

(New York: Random House, 1999) * Heartbeat,

Sharon Creech Sharon Creech (born July 29, 1945) is an American writer of children's novels. She was the first American winner of the Carnegie Medal for British children's books and the first person to win both the American Newbery Medal and the British C ...

(New York: HarperCollins, 2004) * Keesha's House, Helen Frost, (2003) * Dark Sons,

(New York: Hyperion Books, 2005) * Downtown Boy,

Juan Felipe Herrera Juan Felipe Herrera (born in December 27, 1948) is an American poet, performer, writer, cartoonist, teacher, and activist. Herrera was the 21st United States Poet Laureate from 2015 to 2017. Herrera's experiences as the child of migrant farmers ...

(Albuquerque: University of New Mexico Press, 1999) * By the River, Steven Herrick (Crows Nest: Allen and Unwin, 2004 * Kissing Annabel, Steven Herrick (New York: Simon Pulse, 2009) * The Wolf, Steven Herrick (Honesdale: Front Street, 2007) * Cold Skin, Steven Herrick (Honesdale: Front Street, 2009) * love, ghosts and nose hair, Steven Herrick (UQP, 1996) * a place like this, Steven Herrick (UQP, 1998) * the simple gift, Steven Herrick (UQP, 2000) * Aleutian Sparrow,

(New York, Simon & Schuster, 2003) * Out of the Dust,

(New York: Scholastic, 1997) * Witness,

(New York: Scholastic, 2001) * Crank,

(New York: Simon Pulse, 2006) *

Glass Glass is a non-crystalline, often transparent, amorphous solid that has widespread practical, technological, and decorative use in, for example, window panes, tableware, and optics. Glass is most often formed by rapid cooling (quenching) of ...

(New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007) *

Impulse Impulse or Impulsive may refer to: Science * Impulse (physics), in mechanics, the change of momentum of an object; the integral of a force with respect to time * Impulse noise (disambiguation) * Specific impulse, the change in momentum per uni ...

(New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007) * Burned,

(New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2007) *

Identical Two things are identical if they are the same, see Identity (philosophy). Identical may also refer to: * ''Identical'' (Hopkins novel), a 2008 young adult novel by Ellen Hopkins * ''Identical'' (Turow novel), a 2013 legal drama novel by Scott T ...

(New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2008) * Tricks,

(New York: Margaret K. McElderry Books, 2009) * Perfect,

(2011) * Tilt,

(2012) * Rumble,

(2014) * Skyscraping, Cordelia Jensen (New York: Penguin, 2015) * The Way the Light Bends Cordelia Jensen (New York: Penguin, 2018) * My Book of Life By Angel,

Martine Leavitt Martine Leavitt is a Canadian American writer of young adult novels and a creative writing instructor. Biography Leavitt was born in 1953 in Canada. She received a Bachelor of Arts degree, first class honours, from the University of Calgary ...

(2012) * Realm of Possibility,

David Levithan David Levithan (born September 7, 1972) is an American young adult fiction author and editor."David Levithan". October 30, 2008. Gale Database. ''Contemporary Authors Online''. UWM Golda Meir Library, Milwaukee. July 1, 2009. He has written numer ...

(New York: Knopf Books for Young Readers, 2008) * Street Love,

Walter Dean Myers Walter Dean Myers (born Walter Milton Myers; August 12, 1937 – July 1, 2014) was an American writer of children's books best known for young adult literature. He was born in Martinsburg, West Virginia, but was raised in Harlem. A tough childho ...

(New York, CarperCollins, 2007) *

Long Way Down ''Long Way Down'' is a television series and book documenting a motorcycle journey undertaken in 2007 by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, from John o' Groats in Scotland through eighteen countries in Europe and Africa to Cape Town in South ...

Jason Reynolds Jason Reynolds (born December 6, 1983) is an American author of novels and poetry for young adult and middle-grade audience. Born in Washington, D.C. and raised in neighboring Oxon Hill, Maryland, Reynolds found inspiration in rap and had an ea ...

(New York: Simon & Schuster, 2017) * The Weight of the Sky,

Lisa Ann Sandell Lisa Ann Sandell is an American author of young adult novels. She has written and published three books, ''A Map of the Known World'', '' Song of the Sparrow'' and ''The Weight of the Sky''. Biography Before she published her first book, Sande ...

, (New York: Viking, 2006) * Song of the Sparrow,

, (New York: Scholastic, 2008) * I Heart You, You Haunt Me, Lisa Schroeder (New York: Simon Pulse, 2008) * Far from You, Lisa Schroeder (New York: Simon Pulse, 2010) * The Day Before, Lisa Schroeder (New York: Simon Pulse, 2011) *

One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies ''One of Those Hideous Books Where the Mother Dies'' (2004) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. It is a young adult novel that tells the story of Ruby Milliken who is forced to go live with her famous movie star father, Whip Logan, in Los Angeles ...

(New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2001) * Stop Pretending: What Happened When My Big Sister Went Crazy,

(New York: HarperTeen, 2001) *

What My Mother Doesn't Know ''What My Mother Doesn't Know'' (2001) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. The free-verse novel follows ninth-grader Sophie Stein as she struggles through the daily grind of being a freshman in high school, her romantic crushes, and her family ...

(New York: Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2001) *

What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know ''What My Girlfriend Doesn't Know'' (2007) is a novel in verse by Sonya Sones. The free verse novel follows ninth-grader Robin as he struggles with being an outsider at his high school and dealing with the joys of having a girlfriend, Sophie, a ...

(New York, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, 2007) * Orchards, Holly Thompson (New York: Delacorte Books for Young Readers, 2011) * Love and Leftovers, Sarah Tregay (New York: Katherine Tegen Books/HarperCollins, 2011) * Jinx,

(New York: Simon Pulse, 2004) * One Night,

(New York: Random House, 2006) * Glimpse, Carol Lynch Williams (New York: Simon & Schuster/Paula Wiseman Books, 2010) * Make Lemonade,

(New York: Scholastic, 1994) * True Believer,

(New York, Simon Pulse, 2002) * This Full House,

(New York: HarperCollins, 2009) * ''

Lonesome Howl Lonesome may refer to: * Lonesome (1928 film), ''Lonesome'' (1928 film), an American comedy drama part-talkie film * Lonesome (2022 film), ''Lonesome'' (2022 film), an Australian drama film * Loneliness, the emotion * "Lonesome", a song by Unwritte ...

'', Steven Herrick (Crows Nest, NSW: Allen & Unwin, 2006) * Johnny and the Seven Teddy Bears of Sin, James Venn (Toronto, 2012) * The Weight of Water, Sarah Crossan (London: Bloomsbury, 2011) * One, Sarah Crossan (London: Bloomsbury, 2015) * We Come Apart, Sarah Crossan and Brian Conaghan (London: Bloomsbury, 2017)

References

External links

* {{Authority control Narrative poems Genres of poetry

History

Versification

Recent examples

Novels in verse for teens

See also

References

External links