A timely collection of new and previously published work by one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed poets, How to Be Happy Though Human introduces Kate Camp’s eclectic and musical poetry to international audiences for the first time.

A timely collection of new and previously published work by one of New Zealand’s most acclaimed poets, How to Be Happy Though Human introduces Kate Camp’s eclectic and musical poetry to international audiences for the first time.

How to Be Happy Though Human: New and Selected Poems is Kate Camp’s seventh book of poetry and the first to be published outside New Zealand. Incorporating a grouping of new, previously unpublished work and a selection of important poems from her six earlier collections, this volume introduces North American readers to poetry that has been described by critics as “fearless,” “mesmerizing,” and “containing a surprising radicalism and power.”

Camp’s work is recognized for its wide-ranging and eclectic subject matter, its technical control, and its musicality, with pop culture, high culture, the domestic confessional, close observation, and found language featured as recurring elements of style.

A timely retrospective that represents a new chapter in Camp’s career, How to Be Happy Though Human promises to gain a wide readership for this thoughtful, engaging, and popular writer.