Of
Hunts: Poems 1979–2009, Glyn Pursglove writes in the poetry magazine
Acumen, "Since the end of the 1970s, John Greening has steadily established himself a significant presence in contemporary English poetry.... Beyond the admirable craftsmanship that characterises almost all of his work, one of Greening’s great strengths is his historical imagination... Greening’s major sequences are splendid examples of the poetry of place, extended reflections upon the individual’s place in his community, upon place as the creator (and creation) of individuals, full of specifics, but never merely parochial... There is much here to enjoy and admire in the work of a serious (but never excessively solemn) poet, who cares about both 'facts' and ideas and makes his poetry out of the interpenetration of the two." On
To the War Poets, Denis Joe writes in
Manchester Salon: "Too many poets, since [the world wars], seem intent on trying to capture an idea of 'what it was like'.... So it is refreshing to come across this volume of poems from John Greening. None of the poems in this volume make any pretence in attempting to capture some sort of feeling of the war, as one critic put it: 'These are not poems as history lessons.' There is no faux rage about the slaughter of so many men, instead Greening takes us on a journey through the century still recovering from the upheaval of that war.... Greening realises that there is no need for dramatics to put across the feel of war; in this sense he displays a great deal of respect for his audience: allowing them to respond to his poetry in their own way and at their own time. In doing so he captures the humanity of the war poets, who, in their own way, also rejected hysteria in regards to their own work, and in many ways gave a feeling of ordinariness to their experience of the war.... [
To the War Poets] is a volume of contemporary poetry in the truest sense that I hope will be read in many years to come, alongside the works of the War Poets." On
The Silence, David Malcolm writes in
Poetry Salzburg Review: "John Greening’s
The Silence is a fine collection of verse – coherent and yet varied, constantly fresh and insightful, often deeply moving, deploying a language that is as vibrant as its vision of the world. It is a collection to return to frequently, in order to immerse oneself in its richness, its darkness, and its felicity of voice." Frank Beck writes in
Manhattan Review, "It's a loving and inventive meditation on the sources of creative inspiration; the vagaries of artistic confidence; and the ability of the mind to keep observing, associating and struggling to build connections, even when those connections unravel, again and again." Kevin Gardner writes in
PN Review of the long poem about Sibelius: "
The Silence is a compelling exploration of the pressure of fame and the burden of creativity. It is, moreover, an affecting and exquisite poem. The structure sets order at odds with chaos: formal quatrains work in counterpoint against lines of variable syllabic count, while a steady slant-rhyme scheme is disrupted by an adroit use of enjambment." Of
Achill Island Tagebuch,
Martyn Crucefix writes: "Greening's long-established deftness with poetic form is on full display here but it is the (seeming) ease of encompassing that is so impressive. The hedgerows of 'trickling fuchsia' and the 'decayed tooth' of Slievemore are conjoined with be-helmeted cycling jaunts, ill-informed tourists and European research students, while the writer frets about whether the Muses are going to turn up or the disturbing nature of his own dreams – all this alongside more newsworthy items like forest fires on the Greek mainland, Brexit (of course), the discovery of water on Mars and the release of the new
Mission Impossible film." On
Hollow Palaces: An Anthology of Modern Country House Poems, Rishi Dastidar writes in
Wild Court: "Even if you are someone for whom the city is thrill, escape and potential, when in Britain – and especially England – you cannot escape the lure, the lurking presence of the country house. How could you? So much history, so much of who we are runs under their eaves, through their landscaped gardens. The ruins and relics they are today both tourist attractions and repositories of social memory. A posit: going round country houses is almost the perfect form of recreation for the English, combining as it does walking, queuing, snooping, and property. Very expensive property. And this is history very much alive, right now.... [T]hese piles of bricks clearly still retain a symbolic power, beyond that of being sumptuous settings for Sunday night TV dramas. Unsurprisingly, these houses are fertile territory for poets to roam across, as documented in
Hollow Palaces ... a fabulous assemblage of work that does make you think about these buildings in new ways. What appeal does this anthology have to those of us in boxes of concrete and glass, starter Barratt homes or suburban mock Tudor villas? As it turns out, a lot. Mostly this is driven by the way the book is organised, grouped into what at first glance are surprising themes: Insiders, Ghosts & Echoes, Rites & Conversions, Fixtures & Fittings, Loyalties & Divisions, Arrivals & Departures, Dreams & Secrets, and Outsiders. What this allows for is pleasing commonalities to pop up (Wendy Cope in conversation with Yeats in Lissadell is a particular treat), as we go below stairs, explore the gothic, peel back layers of artifice and patterning, on the walls and in the gardens." Of
The Interpretation of Owls, John Forth writes in
London Grip: "Edited in consultation with the poet, this first American collection presents a poetic journey of more than forty years, and it is exceedingly well-travelled. Arranged in sections to illustrate abiding interests and influences, the book comprises nearly 300 poems from twenty-two collections by eighteen publishers, and also previously uncollected and unpublished work. ... It is both joy and jolt to be confronted by eleven 'mini-selecteds' of thirty-odd pages organised by theme. Surprises and new relationships between poems abound. ... This collection lays down a challenge for all young poets approaching their seventies: how to be more profound, allusive and observant whilst also prolific and user-friendly. I struggle to grasp how he’s doing it, but I can see it’s being done. ... It's a treasure, hopefully to boost bucks and fame across the pond for one of our best, brightest and busiest poets of the last forty-odd years." Of
From the East, John Whale writes in
Stand: "In his hands the tercet is capable of a fine range which includes bold humour, subtle wit and delicate emotion. Throughout the sequence ingenuity is apparent, but never pushes for attention in its own right." ==Honours and awards==