Poems

by John Cowper Powys

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Genres: Poetry

123 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1899

About the author

Powys was born in Shirley, Derbyshire, where his father was vicar. His mother was descended from the poet William Cowper, hence his middle name. His two younger brothers, Llewelyn Powys and Theodore Francis Powys, also became well-known writers. Other brothers and sisters also became prominent in the arts.

John studied at Sherborne School and Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, and became a teacher and lecturer; as lecturer, he worked first in England, then in continental Europe and finally in the USA, where he lived in the years 1904-1934. While in the United States, his work was championed by author Theodore Dreiser. He engaged in public debate with Bertrand Russell and the philosopher and historian Will Durant: he was called for the defence in the first obscenity trial for the James Joyce novel, Ulysses, and was mentioned with approval in the autobiography of US feminist and anarchist, Emma Goldman.

He made his name as a poet and essayist, moving on to produce a series of acclaimed novels distinguished by their uniquely detailed and intensely sensual recreation of time, place and character. They also describe heightened states of awareness resulting from mystic revelation, or from the experience of extreme pleasure or pain. The best known of these distinctive novels are A Glastonbury Romance and Wolf Solent. He also wrote some works of philosophy and literary criticism, including a pioneering tribute to Dorothy Richardson.

Having returned to the UK, he lived in England for a brief time, then moved to Corwen in Wales, where he wrote historical romances (including two set in Wales) and magical fantasies. He later moved to Blaenau Ffestiniog, where he remained until his death in 1963.

Reviews

[August · Rating 5 out of 5]

I highly recommend this hidden gem of poetry. One of my all time favorites. The book is on the more difficult side to find, but well worth the search.

[Richard S · Rating 3 out of 5]

John Cowper Powys in his Autobiography calls this book a "gilded Book of Imitation" and reflected his growing "taste" for Nietzsche, also the poem beginning "O Pain" reflecting his problem with his ulcers. It was written when he was 27 and privately printed with the help of his father. He didn't publish anything else for another 15 years after.

The poems show more variety than the first volume, and while not particularly bad, there is nothing that really leaps out at you. Perhaps the first poem, with its evocation of the terrors of the deep ocean, is the best.

Regardless, not much here to suggest the greatness of the novels to follow. I did enjoy it however.

This book is available at archive.org for those wanting to read it.