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Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin: An Anthology by Alan Bennett
Poets like to elude their public, lead them a bit of a dance. They take them down untrodden paths, land them in unknown country where they have to ask for directions.
In this personal anthology, Alan Bennett has chosen over a hundred poems by six well-loved poets, discussing the writers and their verse in his customary conversational style through anecdote, shrewd appraisal and spare but telling biographical detail. Speaking with candor about his own reactions to the work, Alan Bennett creates profound and witty portraits of Thomas Hardy, A. E. Housman, John Betjeman, W. H. Auden, Louis MacNeice, and Philip Larkin, all the more enjoyable for being in his own particular voice.
Anybody writing poetry in the thirties had somehow to come to terms with Auden. Auden, you see, had got a head start on the other poets. He'd got into the thirties first, like someone taking over the digs.
In this personal anthology, Alan Bennett has chosen over a hundred poems by six well-loved poets, discussing the writers and their verse in his customary conversational style through anecdote, shrewd appraisal and spare but telling biographical detail. Speaking with candor about his own reactions to the work, Alan Bennett creates profound and witty portraits of Thomas Hardy, A. E. Housman, John Betjeman, W. H. Auden, Louis MacNeice, and Philip Larkin, all the more enjoyable for being in his own particular voice.
Anybody writing poetry in the thirties had somehow to come to terms with Auden. Auden, you see, had got a head start on the other poets. He'd got into the thirties first, like someone taking over the digs.
225 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2014
42 people are currently reading
491 people want to read
About the author
Alan Bennett
274 books1,111 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
Alan Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, Forty Years On, was produced in 1968. Many television, stage and radio plays followed, along with screenplays, short stories, novellas, a large body of non-fictional prose and broadcasting, and many appearances as an actor. Bennett's lugubrious yet expressive voice (which still bears a slight Leeds accent) and the sharp humour and evident humanity of his writing have made his readings of his own work (especially his autobiographical writing) very popular. His readings of the Winnie the Pooh stories are also widely enjoyed.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
November 26, 2015
Six Poets is an anthology, an introduction and also an excellent education in the poetry of Hardy and Larkin, but also Houseman, Betjeman, Auden, and MacNeice. For those with interest but not extensive knowledge, this is a very good way to settle in to reading poetry by these classic poets, learning of essential themes, important biographical information, even links between some of the poets. Bennett is an amiable guide, never pedantic, providing information but doing it in an interesting way and then letting the poetry speak for itself. It's quite easy to discover who to follow further.
There are both full poems and lengthy excerpts of longer pieces of signature works, preceded or followed by Bennett's description of themes, metaphors, relationships to events in the poets' lives or world events.
This is an excellent introduction to these poets as it provides a biographical, literary and historical context for each...and actually connects them within the British literary tradition. I do recommend it to anyone with an interest in poetry who would like to learn more about these well known figures in a very "friendly" way.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
There are both full poems and lengthy excerpts of longer pieces of signature works, preceded or followed by Bennett's description of themes, metaphors, relationships to events in the poets' lives or world events.
This is an excellent introduction to these poets as it provides a biographical, literary and historical context for each...and actually connects them within the British literary tradition. I do recommend it to anyone with an interest in poetry who would like to learn more about these well known figures in a very "friendly" way.
A copy of this book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
October 9, 2015
A joy
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will continue to enjoy it for many years, I think. I remember the original Channel 4 series in 1990 with great affection, and I am delighted that this book (effectively a transcript) is available again.
This is classic Bennett – witty, extremely knowledgeable and insightful and always direct, clear and readable. This is billed as an "anthology" , but is really Bennet's reflections on and analysis of the work and a little of the life of these six poets, illustrated with selections from their verse. It's a wonderfully illuminating and enjoyable read.
To give an idea of Bennett's style here, he begins his essay on Auden with "Much of Auden, even most of Auden…I do not understand." I know I'm in good hands when I read things like that – and he goes on to quote Isherwood's explanation of the obscurity of some of Auden's writing: that Auden used to save up favourite lines and then group them together "entirely regardless of grammar or sense." But as well as this quite genuine expression of intellectual humility, in the same essay he quotes Kierkegaard, this time to illustrate two aspect of Auden's life: "There are two ways: one is to suffer; the other is to become a professor of the fact that another suffers." He also reports that Auden and his partner lived in some squalor and after a rather stomach-churning anecdote remarks, "One wonders where did one wash one's hands after washing one's hands."
This mixture of clarity, honesty, insight, intellectual brilliance and real wit pervades the entire book and makes it a huge pleasure. He also selects the poems very well, from the very well-known like Housman's "Into my heart an air that kills" to the (to me) obscure, surprising and wonderful discoveries like Hardy's At The Draper's. He uses them to illustrate his points very well and to give a very good picture of the breadth and development of each poet's work.
Bennett celebrates both the direct and the obscure and writes illuminatingly on both. His love of poetry as a form and of its capabilities shines through, summed up in this remark on Betjeman and Larkin: "Both…wrote straightforward poetry that didn't need much exposition. But it's also the case that poetry, though we don't learn it by heart nowadays, and though there is no poetic equivalent of the Booker Prize, it still has magic and seems magical." Well, quite – and if you have any interest at all in poetry or if you just like to read great critical writing, don't hesitate. This is a joy from start to finish and very warmly recommended.
(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and will continue to enjoy it for many years, I think. I remember the original Channel 4 series in 1990 with great affection, and I am delighted that this book (effectively a transcript) is available again.
This is classic Bennett – witty, extremely knowledgeable and insightful and always direct, clear and readable. This is billed as an "anthology" , but is really Bennet's reflections on and analysis of the work and a little of the life of these six poets, illustrated with selections from their verse. It's a wonderfully illuminating and enjoyable read.
To give an idea of Bennett's style here, he begins his essay on Auden with "Much of Auden, even most of Auden…I do not understand." I know I'm in good hands when I read things like that – and he goes on to quote Isherwood's explanation of the obscurity of some of Auden's writing: that Auden used to save up favourite lines and then group them together "entirely regardless of grammar or sense." But as well as this quite genuine expression of intellectual humility, in the same essay he quotes Kierkegaard, this time to illustrate two aspect of Auden's life: "There are two ways: one is to suffer; the other is to become a professor of the fact that another suffers." He also reports that Auden and his partner lived in some squalor and after a rather stomach-churning anecdote remarks, "One wonders where did one wash one's hands after washing one's hands."
This mixture of clarity, honesty, insight, intellectual brilliance and real wit pervades the entire book and makes it a huge pleasure. He also selects the poems very well, from the very well-known like Housman's "Into my heart an air that kills" to the (to me) obscure, surprising and wonderful discoveries like Hardy's At The Draper's. He uses them to illustrate his points very well and to give a very good picture of the breadth and development of each poet's work.
Bennett celebrates both the direct and the obscure and writes illuminatingly on both. His love of poetry as a form and of its capabilities shines through, summed up in this remark on Betjeman and Larkin: "Both…wrote straightforward poetry that didn't need much exposition. But it's also the case that poetry, though we don't learn it by heart nowadays, and though there is no poetic equivalent of the Booker Prize, it still has magic and seems magical." Well, quite – and if you have any interest at all in poetry or if you just like to read great critical writing, don't hesitate. This is a joy from start to finish and very warmly recommended.
(I received an ARC via Netgalley.)
November 12, 2014
Full of delicious literary nuggets and surprises. I didn't think I liked Hardy but it turns out I do, sort of. Houseman was a bit of an odd one, and Betjeman's a little populist, but I found poetry I really liked by both - would like to try a version of Betjeman's NW5 and N6 as a writing exercise. As always, Bennett hits the nail on the head time and time again - Hardy's 'At Church' presents the vanity of the clergyman and the disillusionment of the young woman without any moral, just the poet "putting a frame around it"; Betjeman was "so English it was almost a joke"; MacNeice was "riven by doubt and duality" and wasn't "single-minded enough" to make a fool out of himself as other poets did (over boys, over Communism etc) and perhaps his poetry suffered a little as a result. I'd never read 'The Slow Starter' before and it's sublime - a testament to lost opportunities, the wish to be a little bolder, a little bit more forceful. But the best is saved till last: Larkin. Bennett has a word about narrative voice, which I liked for its pith ("The 'I' [in Larkin} is always the eye. It is not always I.") and will definitely use in class, I think, for easy explanation, but also appeals because Bennett's saying Larkin isn't necessarily who he's pretending to be in his verse (hence the bonfire of diaries after his death, eh?) Nevertheless, he's not a nice man (great anecdote about him saying to a Hull student caught at a bus stop in the rain with him "Don't think you're coming under my umbrella" and this being a metaphor for his art - resolutely refusing to console). Finally, Bennett's choice of Toads Revisited, Aubade and The Trees as the final poems to end the anthology is just PERFECT. Loved, loved, loved.
April 11, 2023
This a very apt, and welcome gift, filling gaps in my knowledge of ought-to-be-better-known poets, put in context by the addition of Alan Bennett's biographical notes. Much to admire, and some surprises at those I don't.
November 26, 2023
Something about the fall and winter always brings with it a craving for poetry. This one hit the spot. Auden and Larkin have particularly been on my mind lately, so this was a fitting pick for me. A short, harmonious anthology of some 'greatest hits'.
February 3, 2022
I don’t think I really ‘get’ poetry in the same way I can get and enjoy fiction. This was a good introduction but still not for me.
May 7, 2017
"... [W]hat seems casual and even discursive is actually carefully constructed."
While this book is ostensibly about Hardy, Housman, Betjeman, Auden, MacNeice, and Larkin, it is really about, and cannot help but be about, Alan Bennett. And I'm quite fine with that. The poems in the "anthology" can be found elsewhere, and each poet's set of collected works is readily available. By the same token there is a wide ranging choice of academic and popular scholarship that addresses each poet's works. We don't really need this book in order to approach any of these poets. But, if you wish to know what Bennett thinks of these poets, if you are curious about how he reacts to their work, or if you would just like a bit of demystification or insightful appreciation, well then you'll have to read this book.
Alan Bennett carries the burden of public intellectual and arts commentator lightly and without affectation. In the secret recesses of his heart he may think he's quite hot stuff, but not a hint or whiff of self-importance mars his writing or his public comments. Rather, he projects as a thoughtful, intelligent, generous and rather forgiving, not to mention modest, observer of the literary scene. That is evident on every page of this book. Sure, his comments and observations regarding the poems are insightful, entertaining and thoughtful. He states his opinions with clarity and authority. But, his sly and deadpan throwaway observations about each poet are where the real pleasures lie.
In a few short lines, or with a telling anecdote, or while quoting some other observer, or with a snippet of an interview excerpt, Bennett manages to capture something of the essential nature of each of these poets - both as men of letters and as simple human beings. There are many observations regarding the poets as private men and public men, and many trenchant judgments regarding those poets' public selves versus their private selves. If you just were to go through the book and highlight each bit that addresses how the poets saw themselves, projected themselves, hid or disguised themselves, or revealed themselves in their work or public comments, I suspect you would be surprised to find that you'd highlighted most of the book.
So, I do like and admire these poets. But I really appreciate Alan Bennett. And, as a consequence of the happy conjunction of these two forces, I particularly enjoyed this book.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
While this book is ostensibly about Hardy, Housman, Betjeman, Auden, MacNeice, and Larkin, it is really about, and cannot help but be about, Alan Bennett. And I'm quite fine with that. The poems in the "anthology" can be found elsewhere, and each poet's set of collected works is readily available. By the same token there is a wide ranging choice of academic and popular scholarship that addresses each poet's works. We don't really need this book in order to approach any of these poets. But, if you wish to know what Bennett thinks of these poets, if you are curious about how he reacts to their work, or if you would just like a bit of demystification or insightful appreciation, well then you'll have to read this book.
Alan Bennett carries the burden of public intellectual and arts commentator lightly and without affectation. In the secret recesses of his heart he may think he's quite hot stuff, but not a hint or whiff of self-importance mars his writing or his public comments. Rather, he projects as a thoughtful, intelligent, generous and rather forgiving, not to mention modest, observer of the literary scene. That is evident on every page of this book. Sure, his comments and observations regarding the poems are insightful, entertaining and thoughtful. He states his opinions with clarity and authority. But, his sly and deadpan throwaway observations about each poet are where the real pleasures lie.
In a few short lines, or with a telling anecdote, or while quoting some other observer, or with a snippet of an interview excerpt, Bennett manages to capture something of the essential nature of each of these poets - both as men of letters and as simple human beings. There are many observations regarding the poets as private men and public men, and many trenchant judgments regarding those poets' public selves versus their private selves. If you just were to go through the book and highlight each bit that addresses how the poets saw themselves, projected themselves, hid or disguised themselves, or revealed themselves in their work or public comments, I suspect you would be surprised to find that you'd highlighted most of the book.
So, I do like and admire these poets. But I really appreciate Alan Bennett. And, as a consequence of the happy conjunction of these two forces, I particularly enjoyed this book.
(Please note that I received a free ecopy of this book without a review requirement, or any influence regarding review content should I choose to post a review. Apart from that I have no connection at all to either the author or the publisher of this book.)
January 2, 2025
Besides Hardy, I am sad to say I didn't know much about the other poets in this collection. It took a while for me to get into a rhythm with this work, but ultimately Bennett's dulcet tones and wit helped bring them together in a fascinating taster into their works, views and lives.
November 22, 2016
Such a wonderful short anthology with illuminating and thoughtful commentary from the peerless Alan Bennett. Enjoyed his balance of biographical detail and critical analysis for each poet that is accessible and interesting for scholars and casual readers alike.
Only criticism is that he missed out MacNeice's "Snow" and Larkin's "The Whitsun Weddings"! Other than that, a fine selection for all six poets - I really enjoyed revisiting poems studied at university, and encountering new poems too. This was just perfect for my daily commute; what a treasure.
Only criticism is that he missed out MacNeice's "Snow" and Larkin's "The Whitsun Weddings"! Other than that, a fine selection for all six poets - I really enjoyed revisiting poems studied at university, and encountering new poems too. This was just perfect for my daily commute; what a treasure.
October 20, 2015
Hardy, Housman and Larkin are poets I've read pretty much all of--all, that is, in the sense of what they wanted read, not travesties like those enormous "complete" collections of Larkin. Macniece, Auden, Betjeman, not so much. So I thought it would be fun to have Bennett's guided tour. And it is a satisfying book, though it doesn't make me any more eager to read the three I've mostly only sampled.
November 25, 2014
Great re-introductory into poetry. Bennett guides you through some of Britain's most beloved poets of the past 100 years and their work. He makes you feel ok about not having a clue what most of them are talking about!
June 2, 2019
I read this book of poetry as part of my retirement effort to read the literature that I was assigned to read in school but didn't. Over 50 years ago now, I began a university physical science program and was enrolled in a compulsory first-year English literature survey course. The section I was in must have had over 100 students and it was only one of several. The professor who taught this section was very good. He lectured but also attempted to initiate discussions during the lectures and genuinely did listen to the answers that the students provided. The large size of the class worked against him in this. It was my view and I would suppose the personal view of many others in the class that I had very limited ability to understand works of literature. That is that my perceptions would not really be worthy of being aired in any broad discussion. That it would be better just to keep silent rather than speak and expose my ignorance for all to see. That view was reinforced by the inclusion of ‘The Sound and The Fury’ in the course. It led to a lifelong conviction that the novels of William Faulkner were beyond my capability and that generalized to a similar view on all of literature. For most of my life, I had a twinge of melancholy when I read of the awarding of the Nobel prize or other major awards in literature. Literature was something that was always going to be beyond me.
I was quite surprised then when in retirement, I began to read again. It began with seeing a William Faulkner novel dramatized in a movie on TCM. I bought the novel out of curiosity not expecting to understand it. I may not be the most subtle critic of the English-language novel, but I read and enjoyed that one and from that I embarked on a project to read all of Faulkner’s novels. ‘The Sound and The Fury’ was one of them and I read it and I found that I could understand it. A conviction of a lifetime, that literature was caused to me, feel away.
This all being accepted; I did enjoy the course. I had no faith in my ability, but I enjoyed the poetry. For 50 years, my thoughts would sometimes turn to the Yeats, the Auden, the cummings, the Dickenson and the other poems that were presented in that course. This anthology of six early 20th century poets fits my purpose to be able to read and enjoy poetry. It rather surprised me that Alan Bennet admitted that he finds some poetry impenetrable. That always discouraged me. However, this anthology presented the poets and thought them the poets and how the poetry fitted into their lives and the society around them. I read books though my life. I didn’t read literature but I read non-fiction and enjoyed history. The poetry in this novel and I suppose much of poetry could be said to be a from of history that is written in a way complementary to the history in non-fiction books.
I’m glad that I red this book. It gave me a foothold on poetry that I did not have before. It supported my ambition to learn more about how ideas are expressed in this way. It is
I was quite surprised then when in retirement, I began to read again. It began with seeing a William Faulkner novel dramatized in a movie on TCM. I bought the novel out of curiosity not expecting to understand it. I may not be the most subtle critic of the English-language novel, but I read and enjoyed that one and from that I embarked on a project to read all of Faulkner’s novels. ‘The Sound and The Fury’ was one of them and I read it and I found that I could understand it. A conviction of a lifetime, that literature was caused to me, feel away.
This all being accepted; I did enjoy the course. I had no faith in my ability, but I enjoyed the poetry. For 50 years, my thoughts would sometimes turn to the Yeats, the Auden, the cummings, the Dickenson and the other poems that were presented in that course. This anthology of six early 20th century poets fits my purpose to be able to read and enjoy poetry. It rather surprised me that Alan Bennet admitted that he finds some poetry impenetrable. That always discouraged me. However, this anthology presented the poets and thought them the poets and how the poetry fitted into their lives and the society around them. I read books though my life. I didn’t read literature but I read non-fiction and enjoyed history. The poetry in this novel and I suppose much of poetry could be said to be a from of history that is written in a way complementary to the history in non-fiction books.
I’m glad that I red this book. It gave me a foothold on poetry that I did not have before. It supported my ambition to learn more about how ideas are expressed in this way. It is
October 8, 2020
Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin: An Anthology by Alan Bennett is a collection of over seventy poems with commentary from six different poets. Bennett is an English author and Tony Award-winning playwright. Bennett's first stage play, "Forty Years On", was produced in 1968.
I jumped at this book. As a latecomer to poetry and having little in the way of formal education on the subject, I readily recognized the poets Hardy and Larkin. However, I found that the four between them were new to me: Houseman, Betjeman, Auden, and MacNeice. Like Bennett, I was baffled by poetry in my younger years and never took more that the required literature classes for a bachelor's in science degree. I do remember having my review of Eliot's “The Wasteland” torn apart because I concentrated on the historical realities rather than the fertility symbolism. I was a history major. That turned me off to poetry until a few years ago. Earlier, I recalled my fourth-grade public school teacher reading to the class Larkin's poem "Church Going" which seemed to directly clash with my Catholic Sunday school teachings. I look back at my fourth-grade teacher and the books she brought to class for us to read and I see her as a subversive hero that kept me interested in reading.
Bennet gives a bit of a biography of each poet in their separate sections and comments on the poems and the poet's lives. Hardy had a thing about graveyards. Bennet tells of how Hardy took his soon to be second wife to visit the grave of his first wife. He pointed to the empty plot next to his first wife and told his wife to be, "This will be yours." She accepted his proposal and they were married in what is probably the creepiest marriage proposal outside of fiction.
The information included with the poems opens the readers to common themes in the poetry as well as the poet's influences. Larkin, the librarian, is quite blunt and even vulgar at times. Auden was better with engineering than love and it shows in his poems. There was a difference to these men and it reflected in their writing. There is no mold that poets are formed from.
Bennett is unintrusive in his discussion and notes on the poems and poets. He does relate themes and explains the influence of the style of writing without a lecturer's despotic intolerance to interpretation. It is more at a casual conversational tone with a touch of humor and personal discovery. It is like talking with an enlightened friend rather than a lesson.
Six Poets is the sort of book that will draw in those who have been intimidated by poetry and those wanting to enjoy the words without the theory. One can love aviation without being an aeronautical engineer. One can appreciate military history without being a soldier. And one can also appreciate poetry without a degree. Six Poets is a welcome addition for anyone curious about poetry yet intimidated by the reputation. Very well done.
I jumped at this book. As a latecomer to poetry and having little in the way of formal education on the subject, I readily recognized the poets Hardy and Larkin. However, I found that the four between them were new to me: Houseman, Betjeman, Auden, and MacNeice. Like Bennett, I was baffled by poetry in my younger years and never took more that the required literature classes for a bachelor's in science degree. I do remember having my review of Eliot's “The Wasteland” torn apart because I concentrated on the historical realities rather than the fertility symbolism. I was a history major. That turned me off to poetry until a few years ago. Earlier, I recalled my fourth-grade public school teacher reading to the class Larkin's poem "Church Going" which seemed to directly clash with my Catholic Sunday school teachings. I look back at my fourth-grade teacher and the books she brought to class for us to read and I see her as a subversive hero that kept me interested in reading.
Bennet gives a bit of a biography of each poet in their separate sections and comments on the poems and the poet's lives. Hardy had a thing about graveyards. Bennet tells of how Hardy took his soon to be second wife to visit the grave of his first wife. He pointed to the empty plot next to his first wife and told his wife to be, "This will be yours." She accepted his proposal and they were married in what is probably the creepiest marriage proposal outside of fiction.
The information included with the poems opens the readers to common themes in the poetry as well as the poet's influences. Larkin, the librarian, is quite blunt and even vulgar at times. Auden was better with engineering than love and it shows in his poems. There was a difference to these men and it reflected in their writing. There is no mold that poets are formed from.
Bennett is unintrusive in his discussion and notes on the poems and poets. He does relate themes and explains the influence of the style of writing without a lecturer's despotic intolerance to interpretation. It is more at a casual conversational tone with a touch of humor and personal discovery. It is like talking with an enlightened friend rather than a lesson.
Six Poets is the sort of book that will draw in those who have been intimidated by poetry and those wanting to enjoy the words without the theory. One can love aviation without being an aeronautical engineer. One can appreciate military history without being a soldier. And one can also appreciate poetry without a degree. Six Poets is a welcome addition for anyone curious about poetry yet intimidated by the reputation. Very well done.
February 22, 2022
PRAYER BEFORE BIRTH by Louis MacNeice
I am not yet born; O hear me.
Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the
club-footed ghoul come near me.
I am not yet born, console me.
I fear that the human race may with tall walls wall me,
with strong drugs dope me, with wise lies lure me,
on black racks rack me, in blood-baths roll me.
I am not yet born; provide me
With water to dandle me, grass to grow for me, trees to talk
to me, sky to sing to me, birds and a white light
in the back of my mind to guide me.
I am not yet born; forgive me
For the sins that in me the world shall commit, my words
when they speak to me, my thoughts when they think me,
my treason engendered by traitors beyond me,
my life when they murder by means of my
hands, my death when they live me.
I am not yet born; rehearse me
In the parts I must play and the cues I must take when
old men lecture me, bureaucrats hector me, mountains
frown at me, lovers laugh at me, the white
waves call me to folly and the desert calls
me to doom and the beggar refuses
my gift and my children curse me.
I am not yet born; O hear me,
Let not the man who is beast or who thinks he is God
come near me.
I am not yet born; O fill me
With strength against those who would freeze my
humanity, would dragoon me into a lethal automaton,
would make me a cog in a machine, a thing with
one face, a thing, and against all those
who would dissipate my entirety, would
blow me like thistledown hither and
thither or hither and thither
like water held in the
hands would spill me.
Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me.
Otherwise kill me.
I am not yet born; O hear me.
Let not the bloodsucking bat or the rat or the stoat or the
club-footed ghoul come near me.
I am not yet born, console me.
I fear that the human race may with tall walls wall me,
with strong drugs dope me, with wise lies lure me,
on black racks rack me, in blood-baths roll me.
I am not yet born; provide me
With water to dandle me, grass to grow for me, trees to talk
to me, sky to sing to me, birds and a white light
in the back of my mind to guide me.
I am not yet born; forgive me
For the sins that in me the world shall commit, my words
when they speak to me, my thoughts when they think me,
my treason engendered by traitors beyond me,
my life when they murder by means of my
hands, my death when they live me.
I am not yet born; rehearse me
In the parts I must play and the cues I must take when
old men lecture me, bureaucrats hector me, mountains
frown at me, lovers laugh at me, the white
waves call me to folly and the desert calls
me to doom and the beggar refuses
my gift and my children curse me.
I am not yet born; O hear me,
Let not the man who is beast or who thinks he is God
come near me.
I am not yet born; O fill me
With strength against those who would freeze my
humanity, would dragoon me into a lethal automaton,
would make me a cog in a machine, a thing with
one face, a thing, and against all those
who would dissipate my entirety, would
blow me like thistledown hither and
thither or hither and thither
like water held in the
hands would spill me.
Let them not make me a stone and let them not spill me.
Otherwise kill me.
September 30, 2024
This was a such a welcome surprise, and for that I have to thank Alan Bennett, compiler of this short book about the poets: Hardy, Housman, Betjeman, Auden, MacNeice and Larkin. I knew a little about the lives of Auden and Larkin, but nothing much about the works of anyone. My main goal was to, if not conquer, come to grips with Thomas Hardy, whom I have studiously avoided reading since being scarred by Tess of the D’Urbervilles in high school. And thanks to the erudition of Mr. Bennett, I can (grudgingly) appreciate some of his poetry. Indeed, Bennett is the perfect guide to these poets, supplying a context for the poems included. I have bookmarks inside many pages that I will want to save some passage, but for sheer laugh-factor, I cannot go past a paragraph relating to John Betjeman. “ … unlike many of his contemporaries, wasn’t homosexual, but he did make a tentative stab at conforming in this regard. Indeed, on one occasion, he said to Hugh Gaitskell, ‘ Do you mind if I put my hand on your bottom?’ The future leader of the Labour Party sighed and said, ‘ Well, if you must.’ ( The must in italics). How quintessentialy English!
This is a brilliant primer for students, or for those who want to dip their toe into twentieth century poetry.
This is a brilliant primer for students, or for those who want to dip their toe into twentieth century poetry.
December 22, 2022
These poets mostly are just not for me.
Hardy I enjoyed; the question of his poetic voice is often fascinating to consider, in particular when paired with biographical context.
Housman comes across as a pretentious poet, and a reprehensible person.
Betjeman was uninteresting, and I couldn't connect with Auden's.
I appreciated MacNeice, if only mostly due to his apparent humility in comparison to the overwhelming pompousness of the previous three poets.
Larkin had a few interesting concepts.
Overall, with the exception of Hardy, these poets didn't make an impression on me.
Bennett's commentary was a minorly redeeming quality: I appreciated his frankness, and due to the dreariness of the poems, I often enjoyed learning the historical/biographical context more than the poems themselves.
However, the anthology is in dire need of at least one female voice to counter the tiring continuity of 200 pages of the poetic pretensions of Oxbridge educated men. Women make up 50% of the population! There are plenty of impactful female poets from the 20th century too!
Hardy I enjoyed; the question of his poetic voice is often fascinating to consider, in particular when paired with biographical context.
Housman comes across as a pretentious poet, and a reprehensible person.
Betjeman was uninteresting, and I couldn't connect with Auden's.
I appreciated MacNeice, if only mostly due to his apparent humility in comparison to the overwhelming pompousness of the previous three poets.
Larkin had a few interesting concepts.
Overall, with the exception of Hardy, these poets didn't make an impression on me.
Bennett's commentary was a minorly redeeming quality: I appreciated his frankness, and due to the dreariness of the poems, I often enjoyed learning the historical/biographical context more than the poems themselves.
However, the anthology is in dire need of at least one female voice to counter the tiring continuity of 200 pages of the poetic pretensions of Oxbridge educated men. Women make up 50% of the population! There are plenty of impactful female poets from the 20th century too!
April 30, 2020
An interesting book - selected poems intertwined with personal comments by Alan Bennet. While the comments may be varied in quality and attitude towards the poets, on the whole they present a candid and interesting glimpse into the personality and creative life of each of the poets as well as context of some of the poems.
I felt it was even more like six essays with poems selected for the points of those essays rather than a bona fide anthology of poets' verse. However, I liked it a lot - the poets really come alive in the personal musings of the author.
I'd like very much for this format to become mainstream - it is a great tool to get acquainted with poets very quickly AND very personally (without tiresome literary analysis).
Regarding the poets: Hardy and MacNeice turned out to be "meh" for me, Betjeman, Auden and Larkin - surprisingly interesting (will continue reading them) and Housman is predictably great (however the selected poems are not my favourites).
I felt it was even more like six essays with poems selected for the points of those essays rather than a bona fide anthology of poets' verse. However, I liked it a lot - the poets really come alive in the personal musings of the author.
I'd like very much for this format to become mainstream - it is a great tool to get acquainted with poets very quickly AND very personally (without tiresome literary analysis).
Regarding the poets: Hardy and MacNeice turned out to be "meh" for me, Betjeman, Auden and Larkin - surprisingly interesting (will continue reading them) and Housman is predictably great (however the selected poems are not my favourites).
May 17, 2021
Reflections and lessons learned:
“...to write a poem is a very positive thing to have done” Larkin
I started this and after ten minutes had the feeling of “oh dear...Bennett talking about Hardy - what was I thinking...”
However, by the end I was a complete convert. Unfamiliar with the work of Housman (the irony of listening to someone from Worcestershire with a prolonged sore throat whilst being from Worcestershire listening to this with a sore throat!) and found a lot within that section - Colour of his Hair particularly interesting poetry. The same for Larkin - all very interesting insights from an obvious fan.
Beautifully delivered collection - he can still keep his Bennett style whimsical writing away from me though...
“Larkin is famous for his fear of death... he is also famous for his fear of life...”
“...to write a poem is a very positive thing to have done” Larkin
I started this and after ten minutes had the feeling of “oh dear...Bennett talking about Hardy - what was I thinking...”
However, by the end I was a complete convert. Unfamiliar with the work of Housman (the irony of listening to someone from Worcestershire with a prolonged sore throat whilst being from Worcestershire listening to this with a sore throat!) and found a lot within that section - Colour of his Hair particularly interesting poetry. The same for Larkin - all very interesting insights from an obvious fan.
Beautifully delivered collection - he can still keep his Bennett style whimsical writing away from me though...
“Larkin is famous for his fear of death... he is also famous for his fear of life...”
March 15, 2024
An accessible introduction to some tent-pole British poets of the last century with thoughtful insight and witty asides expected of Bennett.
A selected poem from each poet:
The Whitewashed Wall by Thomas Hardy
Into my heart an air that kills by A. E. Housman
N. W.5 and N.6 by John Betjeman
Their Lonely Betters by W. H. Auden
To Posterity by Louis MacNeice
The Trees by Philip Larkin
This last famous poem reads:
The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.
Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too.
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.
Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.
A selected poem from each poet:
The Whitewashed Wall by Thomas Hardy
Into my heart an air that kills by A. E. Housman
N. W.5 and N.6 by John Betjeman
Their Lonely Betters by W. H. Auden
To Posterity by Louis MacNeice
The Trees by Philip Larkin
This last famous poem reads:
The trees are coming into leaf
Like something almost being said;
The recent buds relax and spread,
Their greenness is a kind of grief.
Is it that they are born again
And we grow old? No, they die too.
Their yearly trick of looking new
Is written down in rings of grain.
Yet still the unresting castles thresh
In fullgrown thickness every May.
Last year is dead, they seem to say,
Begin afresh, afresh, afresh.
October 12, 2019
This is such a pleasurable way to read poetry -- the poems themselves, each commented upon by Bennett, who makes no claims to critical authority or objectivity or anything such, he just has here these poems he likes and talks about why he likes them and when the poet wrote them and how they might be connected to the poet's life. Of course if I did not find Bennett interesting in himself it would not work, but I did, and I really enjoyed this double view into Bennett and the poets he chose; it made me want to sit down and read all of the poets straight through, most especially Louis Macneice whom I knew before but only an excerpt from Autumn Journal. But I liked all of it, even the poem by Larkin I hate, because I liked seeing what Bennett had to say. Such a delight, all through.
August 9, 2021
Okay, it’s 6 white English men from the 20th century, but that’s the canon..and I love Hardy, Auden, Larkin SO much. Betjeman does nothing for me. No, more than that. I really dislike his poetry so much. Macniece was a really welcome inclusion and maybe one day I’ll love him as much as I love Larkin.
Alan Bennett’s commentary is just amazing. So unpretentious but so clever. I’ve never read a poetry anthology like this, with the commentary interspersed amongst the poems, and for me it’s the perfect format.
The final poem at the end broke me - but I won’t spoil the surprise.
I’d recommend this whole heartedly to anyone who likes, or wants to like poetry. I’m very exc yes to watch the companion tv show now, too.
Alan Bennett’s commentary is just amazing. So unpretentious but so clever. I’ve never read a poetry anthology like this, with the commentary interspersed amongst the poems, and for me it’s the perfect format.
The final poem at the end broke me - but I won’t spoil the surprise.
I’d recommend this whole heartedly to anyone who likes, or wants to like poetry. I’m very exc yes to watch the companion tv show now, too.
January 1, 2026
really enjoyed Bennett's little anecdotes in this one and will definitely dive deeper into his backlog.
was refreshingly critical of the writer's and their lives (there's a great bit in here where Housman, famous for writing poems of death and war, had his college turned into a hospital during WWI, and complained of it as an inconvenience), while also maintaining a healthy degree of dry humour and respect for the art they produced and impact they carried. he's also got some absolute bars in his narration ("The 'I' is always the eye. it is not always I")
think I gravitated most to Betjamin and Audin as far as actual poets went. lot to add to the reading list (that will never be fulfilled) after this one.
was refreshingly critical of the writer's and their lives (there's a great bit in here where Housman, famous for writing poems of death and war, had his college turned into a hospital during WWI, and complained of it as an inconvenience), while also maintaining a healthy degree of dry humour and respect for the art they produced and impact they carried. he's also got some absolute bars in his narration ("The 'I' is always the eye. it is not always I")
think I gravitated most to Betjamin and Audin as far as actual poets went. lot to add to the reading list (that will never be fulfilled) after this one.
November 15, 2018
Loved, loved, loved this book. The poems and poets themselves are classics and can be found in many other anthologies plus within their own gathered collections. What makes this such a standout is Alan Bennett. His insights into each man and his poetry added so much to my own appreciation. What makes this really special though is that he comes at this just as you or I would. An average person who wants to read poetry but doesn't have any expert knowledge about the mechanics and formal structure of a poem. He is an advocate of just reading an accessible poem just for the sheer joy of it. Wonderful book!
August 18, 2023
A very enjoyable and informative read.
Useful for poetry beginners such as myself and expertly read and contextualised by the legend that is Alan Bennett.
To my shame, it has taken me until now to realise Thomas Hardy was known as a poet as a poet as well as a novelist. I just thought he dabbled a bit.
AE Housman's A Shropshire Lad isn't what the title would first suggest. No spoilers here, but surface to say I am now intrigued to read the collection.
John Betjeman wrote funny poems! I just thought he wrote serious ones. He was also fond of being on TV.
WH Auðen followed love to America and became a naturalised American. I thought he spent his days here.
I learned all about a new to me poet Louis Macniece from Northern Ireland. Well known for being able to see both sides of a story.
I have finally heard more than the first few lines of that well known poem by Philip Larkin concerning parental responsibility. You know the one, and if you don't, I heartily recommend you let Alan Bennett's dulcet tones enlighten you.
Useful for poetry beginners such as myself and expertly read and contextualised by the legend that is Alan Bennett.
To my shame, it has taken me until now to realise Thomas Hardy was known as a poet as a poet as well as a novelist. I just thought he dabbled a bit.
AE Housman's A Shropshire Lad isn't what the title would first suggest. No spoilers here, but surface to say I am now intrigued to read the collection.
John Betjeman wrote funny poems! I just thought he wrote serious ones. He was also fond of being on TV.
WH Auðen followed love to America and became a naturalised American. I thought he spent his days here.
I learned all about a new to me poet Louis Macniece from Northern Ireland. Well known for being able to see both sides of a story.
I have finally heard more than the first few lines of that well known poem by Philip Larkin concerning parental responsibility. You know the one, and if you don't, I heartily recommend you let Alan Bennett's dulcet tones enlighten you.
June 26, 2018
Hardy, Housman, Auden, Betjeman, Larkin, MacNeice: all men who tended to emphasise the tragic. (You think Betjeman didn't, but you might be confusing his writing, full of loss and pettiness, with his foppy, daffy TV persona.)
Wonderful, this - parallel poems and commentaries - covering the famous gobbets dutifully, but also picking excerpts which rarely come to light. The commentary is more clipped and sardonic than you might expect from Bennett, if you know him only by reputation / caricature.
The cover shown above is much more beautiful than the cover I had.
Wonderful, this - parallel poems and commentaries - covering the famous gobbets dutifully, but also picking excerpts which rarely come to light. The commentary is more clipped and sardonic than you might expect from Bennett, if you know him only by reputation / caricature.
The cover shown above is much more beautiful than the cover I had.
August 22, 2023
Day 21
#thesealeychallenge #poetry
‘Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin’ by Alan Bennett
A superb anthology thanks to the excellent judgement of Mr Bennett, with biographical notes that give insights into the poets as well. I found this on Audible so had the benefit of Mr Bennett’s Yorkshire accent (perfect for a Yorkshireman to listen to). What is also good about such an anthology is discovering poets who I haven’t read before: of these, I’ve read Hardy and Houseman, but not Betjeman, Auden, MacNeice or Larkin (for my shame!) Expect to see them in next years list.
Brilliant addition this year.
#thesealeychallenge #poetry
‘Six Poets: Hardy to Larkin’ by Alan Bennett
A superb anthology thanks to the excellent judgement of Mr Bennett, with biographical notes that give insights into the poets as well. I found this on Audible so had the benefit of Mr Bennett’s Yorkshire accent (perfect for a Yorkshireman to listen to). What is also good about such an anthology is discovering poets who I haven’t read before: of these, I’ve read Hardy and Houseman, but not Betjeman, Auden, MacNeice or Larkin (for my shame!) Expect to see them in next years list.
Brilliant addition this year.
June 2, 2020
My first, proper attempt at poetry: reading it, rereading it, thinking about it, then learning a little more about the poets. Not, then, a book to read through once and put away on a shelf, but to linger over. So, I think I would definitely like to read more Thomas Hardy and John Betjeman, they fired my imagination and the others I will return to. But not Larkin, I enjoyed the ones here, chosen by AB, but that's plenty!
February 9, 2023
As someone who has been relatively distanced from
Poetry for the last 7 or 8 years, this book was a perfect tour. Bennett, in his introductory paragraphs to each poem, gives us insight into a the context of the poem and highlights potential themes - which is exactly what I needed. A little side-nodding of the head “hey look over here mate!”. But what’s great is that this handholding peters out towards the end, leaving you to connect the dots.
100% recommend for poetry-curious folks
Poetry for the last 7 or 8 years, this book was a perfect tour. Bennett, in his introductory paragraphs to each poem, gives us insight into a the context of the poem and highlights potential themes - which is exactly what I needed. A little side-nodding of the head “hey look over here mate!”. But what’s great is that this handholding peters out towards the end, leaving you to connect the dots.
100% recommend for poetry-curious folks
May 12, 2017
I was moved and intrigued, both by the poems themselves and by Bennett's commentary. I find myself genuinely interested in poetry for the first time in my life and it's as though a whole new world has opened up. I've tried before, so maybe I'm just a late developer and this arrived at the right time.
August 27, 2018
Outstanding book serving as a great introduction to six poets. I was not familiar with two of them, and the ones I knew I now know better thanks to Bennett's insightful and interesting comments. He has a conversational style so it feels like you are sitting in a study with a bright person who avoids being condescending.
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