Solstices

by Louis MacNeice

A collection of poems by Louis MacNeice. A very good hardcover copy with bright gilt spine lettering. Light wear. Tight binding. Clean, unmarked pages. NOT Ex-library. Very good jacket in removeable mylar; some fading and light chipping. 78pgs. Shipped Under 1 kilogram. Poetry; Inventory 015156.

Genres: Poetry

80 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1961

About the author

Born to Irish parents in Belfast, MacNeice was largely educated in English prep schools. He attended Oxford University, there befriending W.H. Auden.

He was part of the generation of "thirties poets" which included W. H. Auden, Stephen Spender and Cecil Day-Lewis; nicknamed "MacSpaunday" as a group — a name invented by Roy Campbell, in his Talking Bronco (1946). His body of work was widely appreciated by the public during his lifetime, due in part to his relaxed, but socially and emotionally aware style. Never as overtly (or simplistically) political as some of his contemporaries, his work shows a humane opposition to totalitarianism as well as an acute awareness of his Irish roots.

Reviews

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very fond of these lines with their interesting rhymes and songlike rhythms. Some are sad and evocative, others frightening. I think my favorite in the collection was Apple Blossom: "The first ocean was the best ocean / For the child from streets of doubt and litter;" and "And, however often the sun may rise, / A new thing dawns upon our eyes." It was the first poem!