Between 1927 and his death in 1973, W. H. Auden endowed poetry in the English language with a new face. Or rather, with several faces, s...
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Dec 17, 2009
Cinco
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People are always surprised to hear this is Auden's, but it is:
As the poets have mournfully sung,
Death takes the innocent young,
The rolling-in-money,
The screamingly-funny,
And those who are very well hung.
As the poets have mournfully sung,
Death takes the innocent young,
The rolling-in-money,
The screamingly-funny,
And those who are very well hung.
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Jul 31, 2011
Patrick
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There is never a volume of Auden far from me. No matter who you are or what your background, he is a poet you can love.
As I walked out one evening,
Walking down Bristol Street,
The crowds upon the pavement
Were fields of harvest wheat.
And down by the brimming river
I heard a lover sing
Under an arch of the railway:
"Love has no ending.
"I'll love you, dear, I'll love you
Till China and Africa meet,
A More...
Nov 03, 2007
Nancy
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I first became aware of Auden in my early teens after hearing a reading of Funeral Blues in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral. That poem enchanted me and I have been an Auden fan since! This collection of poems may seem a bit daunting because of the size; good for picking up and reading a few at a time or getting lost in Auden's spell-binding language for hours at a time.
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Jun 29, 2010
Sarah
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Auden tends to either hit the mark with great skill, or be totally off base.
It's nice to have the whole collection of poems, but there are a lot of totally forgettable ones in here.
However, some of his work is so starkly and utterly beautiful, this is a collection I'll always want to have with me.
"Lullaby" alone makes this a treasured book.
It's nice to have the whole collection of poems, but there are a lot of totally forgettable ones in here.
However, some of his work is so starkly and utterly beautiful, this is a collection I'll always want to have with me.
"Lullaby" alone makes this a treasured book.
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Mar 19, 2009
Brian
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Hmmm. I checked this book out because I'd read a couple of Auden's more anthologized poems, "The Unknown Citizen" and "The More Loving One," and enjoyed them very much. Well, it turns out they're not typical. Auden reminds me of Eliot in some ways -- fond of allusion and over-figurative language that confuses rather than illuminating, or at least says "this poem is not for you." Even at his worst, however, Eliot is pithy. "The Waste Land" is incompreh
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Apr 24, 2011
Andrew
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Although Auden is supposed to be one of the 20th century's greatest poets, I've never been able to get into him. A few poems of his I like as much as any in the language ("Musee des Beaux Arts", "In Memory of W.B. Yeats", "The Shield of Achilles", etc.), but most of it just leaves me cold.
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Feb 28, 2008
Joel
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This is a huge book of poetry(around 1000 pages) and all I read was "For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio." It is a long poem, a word-meditation on the incarnation of Christ the Lord. Auden does a masterful job of contextualizing it for us, dressing Joseph and Mary, even Caesar and Simeon, in our cultural clothing, and in doing so, helps us place ourselves into the Gospel story. There are times where I felt a bit removed from Auden's cultural setting (heavy modernism), but overall,
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Dec 03, 2011
As with every time I pick up Auden, I'm quickly turned off. Its understood that he's quite smart. But enough of his poems seem full of crap to not make me interested in him as a poet. Too sentimental, too frightened, too much fat.
Jan 11, 2012
Edward
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Try as I might, I just can't take too much Auden. I don't what it is, I'm not just a big fan... I made it through half of his collected poems, but they didn't touch me, not like Ruth Stone, Charles Simic or even Denise Levertov
Dec 28, 2010
I don't think I will ever finish is 800 page book, collection of all his poems and plays, but its good to keep by your bedside to read a little now and then. Every time I open up this book i am awed.
Oct 21, 2009
Olivia
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There are many poems in here I have yet to mine, but this collection has kept me company on many cold nights when all I want to do is curl up with some words, some wine, and my own thoughts. Tough to beat.
Nov 24, 2008
Lindsey
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I thought I liked Auden; apparently I only like the few poems editors always anthologize. His later poems are better though.
Mar 27, 2011
Christy
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How I have a degree in Literature and barely read Auden til this past Winter is beyond me. Amazing, amazing, amazing.
Jan 01, 2010
Whitney
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I don't usually read poetry anymore, but when I want to this is definitely the book I turn to.
May 23, 2009
Adam
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Unrelated anecdote. Auden and his lover were having Igor Stravinsky and his wife, Vera, over for dinner one evening. Vera asked to use the bathroom and was directed to its location. She found in the sink a tub full of brown muck which she rinsed down in embarassment and disgust. When returning she complained that they must be having a problem with their sink and that she washed down the blockage. Auden's partner replied, "oh no your dessert!". It was the pudding.
Dec 16, 2009
Krishan
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Great. What can I say ? Nothing, except that this is greatest English language poet of the 20th century.
Don't forget to also get W H Auden 'Selected Poems', for that contains many poems not included here, b/c Auden removed them from his own canon.
Don't forget to also get W H Auden 'Selected Poems', for that contains many poems not included here, b/c Auden removed them from his own canon.
Jul 03, 2008
aya
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my first foray into auden- "dichtung und wahrheit (an unwritten poem)" is possibly the most romantic thing i have ever read, because it does not pretend at perfection. there is a lot left for me to read in here, and am enjoying how long i will be able to take my time with him and possibly never be done.
Jun 13, 2010
Nikki
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I haven't actually read all, or even most, of the poems in here, but this is the kind of thing I'll pick up every now and again over a period of years, before I get to read all of it. I like all of Auden's poetry that I've read so far -- particularly "Funeral Blues", aka "Stop all the clocks".
Nov 25, 2007
Nick
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"Piso's a Christian/he worships a fish/there'd be no kissing/if he had his wish...absolutely elsewhere vast/herds of reindeer move across/miles and miles of golden moss/silently and very fast". Undoubtedly the best poet of the last century.
Dec 08, 2009
Tarragon
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This book has a lot of pages but they are not a necessary reading, I'm still breathing at least. I suppose I shall never finish reading it.
I've been leafing the pages. Preparing to see the new Bennett play, if I can get day tickets.
I've been leafing the pages. Preparing to see the new Bennett play, if I can get day tickets.
May 20, 2009
Rebecca (N)
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I enjoyed this visit to an old favorite. I've read an article in the New York Times about memorizing poetry so I have been memorizing "This Lunar Beauty".
May 30, 2008
Celeste
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A look-back in modernist poetry for me. Not for people who don't like poetry. Some are a bit stodgy but others are wonderfully conversational though they are in iambic pentameter.
Oct 23, 2007
This was on Shirley Mullen's recommended reading list under the category of "poetry." She recommended "For the Time Being," but I can't find it.
Nov 06, 2008
Moksha
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I have read parts of this book and love it. Poetry is a bit hard to read a whole book of in one sitting, so I just take it bit by bit.
Nov 15, 2007
Em
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Back when I was an English major, I loved Auden, because I found him so insightful and accessible. I guess I still feel the same way.
