SOURCE: Mariani, Gigliol´ Sacerdoti. “From Funland to Funland! An Ellipse.” In The Poetry of Dannie Abse, pp. 47-84. London: Robson Books, 1983.

In the following essay, Mariani discusses the body of Abse's work, praising “Funland” as the masterpiece.

The contributors to this collection of essays on Dannie Abse have made my task in introducing their articles both easy and difficult: easy because they have capably identified the essential qualities in Abse's poems and plays and articulated, in many instances superbly, much that is worth knowing about them; difficult because as each contribution arrived it effectively narrowed the range of topics I had anticipated addressing in this space. If, in order to avoid repetition, I have less to say, there is no real loss: I share with the contributors their feelings about the value and impact of Abse's poetry and plays.

Poets with true talents interest us considerably; one who...