Reviews

This collection of poetry by W. H. Auden from 1939 is a very interesting and well-written comment on the 1930's wars, totalitarian regimes, religious fundamentalism, bureaucratic states who wanted to diminish its citizens to numbers and statistics and other horrors of the time. Auden portrays - unlike the states and politicians that he critizise - the common man and gives him/her a voice in this world. He offers some very beautiful and incredibly sad stories about different characters who are victims of a cruel society or bad upbringing. In this whole portrait of fallen people and fallen places intertextuality contributes a lot, since especially history and theology plays an important role throughout the entire poetry collection. Auden is definitely interested in Christianity which he both ironises and insists on taking seriously.
All in all a very beautiful yet horrific poetry collection from a "another time".

revoli's review against another edition

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emotional inspiring fast-paced

5.0

veethorn's review against another edition

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5.0

Spain 1937. Refugee Blues. Orpheus. Also, incidentally, Auden's most famous poem (another blues). This collection is - I could line up a lot of superlative adjectives here. I'm going to keep coming back to it.

joth1006's review against another edition

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5.0

"Time watches from the shadows / And coughs when you would kiss". Mörkt och humoristiskt och medvetet på ett självklart sätt. Auden alltså..!

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