W. H. Auden once defined light verse as the kind that is written by poets who are democratically in tune with their audience and whose language is ...
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reviews
Jan 20, 2008
Matthew
rated it: 
If I had only one book to give to a good friend, I think this would be it. To my frail subjectivity, W.H. Auden is the best writer in the English language. And yes, I do mean "best" and not favorite.
Let us compare him to Shakespeare. This is why Shakespeare ultimately fails: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFof9AD2Y... And no, I don't buy the argument that Shakespeare is telling us about himself but none of us can really understand. As far as we can tell, he never lef More...
Let us compare him to Shakespeare. This is why Shakespeare ultimately fails: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EFof9AD2Y... And no, I don't buy the argument that Shakespeare is telling us about himself but none of us can really understand. As far as we can tell, he never lef More...
Aug 10, 2011
David Tendo
rated it:
Auden's work is so versatile, fun and engaging. There are some really famous poems in here such as Funeral Blues which was featured in the movie Four Weddings and a Funeral, but there are plenty of other little gems.
Jan 05, 2008
skokiesam
rated it: 
I rarely read books of poetry, only because I've never read a poet whose poetry I enjoy so completely as I do W. H. Auden's. Strangely enough, I learned about Auden from a movie: Four Weddings and a Funeral. John Hannah's character recites a poem toward the end of the movie, and I had always loved it. After watching the movie for the umpteenth time, I finally gave up and looked up the poem and found Auden.
I like a lot of poems and I like a lot of poetry. Auden's wry humor pervades hi More...
I like a lot of poems and I like a lot of poetry. Auden's wry humor pervades hi More...
Nov 07, 2010
Jay
rated it:
Most light verse I have read is terrible. This book proves that it should only be undertaken by a great poet. Leave the epic, ode, and sonnet to the mediocre, the limerick is the realm of the genius.
There was a young poet whose sex
Was aroused by aesthetic effects;
Marvell's The Garden
Gave him a hard-on
And he came during Oedipus Rex.
(169)
There was a young poet whose sex
Was aroused by aesthetic effects;
Marvell's The Garden
Gave him a hard-on
And he came during Oedipus Rex.
(169)
Nov 06, 2007
Matt
rated it:
I don't know about "light verse". Even the lightest of Auden's verse still contains at least one line with such piercing insight into the human condition, and such wailing beauty as to render it a little "heavier".
Jul 27, 2009
Krishan
rated it:
Too many favorites to mention.
Suffice to say that this collection is among the most desireable of Auden collections in print. That's not bad for the greatest English lanuage poet of the 20th century.
Suffice to say that this collection is among the most desireable of Auden collections in print. That's not bad for the greatest English lanuage poet of the 20th century.
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