Loading...
5th out of 69 books
—
95 voters
My rating:
add to my books
Collected Poems of Wilfred Owen
Wilfred Owen was twenty-two when he enlisted in the Artists' Rifle Corps during World War I. By the time Owen was killed at the age of 25 at the Battle of Sambre, he had written what are considered the most important British poems of WWI.
This definitive edition is based on manuscripts of Owen's papers in the British Museum and other archives.
This definitive edition is based on manuscripts of Owen's papers in the British Museum and other archives.
Paperback, New Directions Book, 192 pages
Published
June 27th 1965
by New Directions Publishing Corporation
(first published 1963)
There is a good chance some of your friends read this book. Sign in to see!
sign in »
Friend Reviews
To see what your friends thought of this book,
please sign up.
Community Reviews
(showing
1-30
of
528)
I bought this book merely on a whim after hearing lightly of wilfred owen. One must always be weary of being poetry books without knowing a thing about the author. Although this was a "blind" buy for me it is amongst the greatest purchases i've ever made(of everything not solely books). I have to recommend this for anyone who is either trying to get into wilfred owen, you know somewhat of wilfred owen or are outright and admirer of owen. It has a simple but detailed timeline of the ess...more
Brilliant poet whose life was cut short like so many men at that time, remember studying Dulce et decorum est at school. Owen's description of a gas attack was so vivid and you can feel the panic. Years later I discovered that one of my great grandfather's had been involved in a gas attack in WWI, I don't know where or when, I only know that it resulted in his death at the age of 45 in 1939.
Now everytime I read that section I wonder about him.
Now everytime I read that section I wonder about him.
I first read Owen over 50 years ago (in high school) and still shudder when I think of
"Red lips are not so red
as the stained stones kissed by the English dead"
which I learned then....
and others of his haunting poems.
I learned about "consonantal rhyme", about economy of language, about obliqueness and its opposite.
What can I say? Everyone should read Wilfred Owen.
"Red lips are not so red
as the stained stones kissed by the English dead"
which I learned then....
and others of his haunting poems.
I learned about "consonantal rhyme", about economy of language, about obliqueness and its opposite.
What can I say? Everyone should read Wilfred Owen.
I haven't read every poem in depth this is a great collection and Owen has an amazing story. He lends credit to his anti-war poetry by actually being a front-line soldier in WWI. Most people have read "Dulce et Decorum Est" in high school or collect..... If not, it can be found online and it's worth reading.
I learned about WIlfred Owen in an English class I'm taking. He was a WWI soldier who became famous for his trench poetry; poetry that explored the horrors of war. Unfortunately, Owen was killed in November 1918 a week before Armistice Day (Veterans Day).
view 1 comment
Wow. I've actually read three whole poetry books this year. And two of them of my own free will!
Here's my review at Guys Lit Wire.
Here's my review at Guys Lit Wire.
Some striking and moving war poems show that Owen had amazing talent. Unfortunately, he died before he could accomplish a great body of work. The juvenalia included in this collection is mostly pedestrian.
My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
nuff said!
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori.
nuff said!
Sonia
is currently reading it
A great poet, Wilfred Owen. Quite graphic, but realistic and inspirational war poetry. think: that song, "Hero of War" by Rise against. Much the same.
I'm not completely done with this by any stretch of the imagination, but I think I'll be digesting this book for a while, so now is as good a time as any to review it. Owen was a World War I soldier poet and many of his poems reflect his experiences at the front. At times, his writing is extremely disturbing (war is bad!?), but the quality of his writing makes it hard to put down. Definitely, his poems are worth reading and rereading to pick up all the details and images. At the same time, his p...more
Great book, my first real introduction to poetry. I still like to dip into reading my fav poems. Its a shame that it takes a war to find such beauty
Forget the early poems, skip right to the war poems and you'll be breathless. Don't miss Dulce et decorem est, S.I.W, they will haunt you.
I named my son Owen. Need I say more.
Ok, well Rupert,Sigfried and Wilfred were just too odd for a little guy to carry through school.
Ok, well Rupert,Sigfried and Wilfred were just too odd for a little guy to carry through school.
Katie
added it
Haven't actually read this book specifically, but I am a huge fan of many of Owen's poems such as "Dulce et Decorum Est."
Read this, and other first world war poets, during my final school year. Heartbreaking, so achingly honest, wonderful writing.
I love "Strange Meeting", having visited two war-zones myself and I have an interest in war-photography.
His poetry was so beautiful and inspiring.
I've decided to name my next cat Wilfred MeOwen.
Devastating, haunting war poetry.
poetry that just moves you to your core
John Constantine
is currently reading it
Read these poems. Right now.
Great.
Owen is one of my favorite poets. His work has inspired me since I first discovered him as a young teenager. Anyone serving in the military or considering serving should at least read 'Dulce et Decorum est' and contemplate the poem before making their final decision. And for all others who yearn to experience the workings and processes of the soldier Wilfred Owen offers a keen, if not horrificly insightful, window into the fields afar.
It's sad when I talk to people and they don't even know who Wilfred Owen is. Or they only know "Dulce et Decorum Est." "Futility," "Strange Meeting," "The Sentry," and "Anthem for Doomed Youth" are just as good as "Dulce et Decorum Est." He deserves more recognition. Better than Sassoon, better than Brooke. But he was more than just the greatest poet of WW1, he was one of the greatest poets of the 20th century in my opinion.
One of England's greatest war poets. He died in the last week of the Great War. He gave voice to the suffering in the trenches, the experience of shell shock, and the shift in perspective from a youth dreaming of glory to a man who knew what glory costs. What a waste.
Owen is not well enough known as a poet and as a poet of WWI. His poetry is raw and shocking, and I think he still rivals any poet I've ever read. I have memorized so many lines and whole poems of his almost effortlessly because they are that good: they stick.
As April is National Poetry Month and as I am still investigating first hand accounts of WWI, I have chosen this book to read.
I'm not real big into poetry. Owen is known as one of the top military poets of WWI if not of all warfare. Poetry about such a terrible and ugly subject is interesting to say the least.
If you know anything about history, there's no way you can read The Parable of the Old Man and the Young and not get chills. So, so powerful.
A 19 year old goes off to World War II (I believe maybe it was I) - some of his poetry before he is killed. A few really beautiful ones.
There are no discussion topics on this book yet.
Be the first to start one »
Readers Also Enjoyed
Share This Book
No trivia or quizzes yet. Add some now »
“The universal pervasion of ugliness, hideous landscapes, vile noises, foul language...everything. Unnatural, broken, blasted; the distortion of the dead, whose unburiable bodies sit outside the dug outs all day, all night, the most execrable sights on earth. In poetry we call them the most glorious.”
—
3 people liked it
“O what made fatuous sunbeams toil
To break earth's sleep at all?”
—
3 people liked it
More quotes…
To break earth's sleep at all?”
