Paul Muldoon’s choices

Among the most significant books of poetry of this past decade was The Beauty of the Husband by Anne Carson (2001), a tale of marital haps and mishaps for those who continue to like their poetry appropriately dense and difficult. District and Circle by Seamus Heaney (2006) and The Weather in Japan by Michael Longley (2000) show two leading Irish poets tending their plots and reaping the benefits. The Shadow of Sirius by W.S. Merwin (2009) is a book in which deep image and deep ecology are happily combined. Weeds and Wildflowers by Alice Oswald (2009) includes wonderful snapshots of the physical world while Rain by Don Paterson (2009) is a splendidly intense and intelligent collection from the great Scottish poet. A Scattering by Christopher Reid (2009) includes some of the best elegiac writing of recent years while Failure by Philip Schultz (2007) includes the observation "failures are unforgettable." Rounding out this top 10 list are the unforgettably successful My Noiseless Entourage by Charles Simic (2005) and Collected Poems by C.K. Williams (2007).

Paul Muldoon’s The End of the Poem: The Oxford Lectures is published by Faber and Faber, £16.99

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Helen Dunmore’s choices

Michael Donaghy, Collected Poems (2009)

Michael Donaghy’s poems could be buried in the earth for generations and they would still sing. Musical, daring and memorable work.

Toast: The Story of a Boy's Hunger by Nigel Slater(2003)

No-one describes what food feels like better than Slater. He remembers everything: the Vesta Curry, the Instant Whip, and his newly-widowed father kneeling in tears by his bed.

A Life's Work by Rachel Cusk (2002)

A fearless book about Cusk’s experience of becoming a mother. Her writing is poised, her wit bright, and, like Virginia Woolf, she kills the Angel of the House with mockery.

Staying Alive: Real Poems for Unreal Times, ed Neil Astley (2002)

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