David Jones: Engraver, Soldier, Painter, Poet

by Thomas Dilworth

Among the revolutions of the last century, none was more important or potentially more lasting than the one in the arts called "Modernism". Among the giants of that movement were writers who changed our conceptions of poetry and prose forever. Now, well into the new century, we can look back to admire and reflect on figures from that period. Last year saw biographies of two monumental poets of Robert Crawford's first volume on T. S. Eliot, and David Moody's concluding third volume on the life of Ezra Pound.We are excited to announce the first full–length critical biography of the third member, too often overlooked, of that extraordinary group. The beautifully illustrated David Engraver, Soldier, Painter, Poet by Thomas Dilworth will stand for generations as the great biography this wonderful artist deserves.Jones (1895–1974) was a painter, a wood– and copper–engraver and maker of painted inscriptions, but it was as a poet that he left his most lasting mark. Eliot called him "one of the most distinguished writers of my generation" and Dylan Thomas said he "would like to have done anything as good as David Jones has done." Auden praised his poem In Parenthesis as "the greatest book [ever] about the Great War", and The Anathemata as one of the "truly great poems in Western Literature." His work, the whole of it, enables him to stand alongside Eliot, Pound, and James Joyce as an incomparable figure in literary Modernism.

Genres: Biography, Art, Nonfiction

627 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 6, 2017

Reviews

[Bettie · Rating 3 out of 5]

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08lglt1

Description: Thomas Dilworth's biography of the visual artist and poet, David Jones, illuminates the life and work of one of the great but lost Modernists. His epic war poem, In Parenthesis, based on his experiences in the trenches was heralded by WH Auden as' the greatest book about the First World War'. His paintings, the watercolours in particular, reveal an extraordinary talent, and his engravings and inscriptions were inventive and critically acclaimed. This biography not only examines his work, it also shines a light on his personal life, examining his Catholic faith, his deep interest in his Welsh roots, and also the psychological damage resulting from his experiences on the front during the Great War.

Thomas Dilworth is an authority on David Jones and his work, and has written extensively about him. Commissioned in 1987 David Jones: Engraver, Soldier, Painter has been a labour of love for some thirty years.

1. Beginnings
2. The Great War
3. The Art of Engraving

[Laura · Rating 3 out of 5]

From BBC radio 4 - Book of the week:
Thomas Dilworth's biography of the visual artist and poet, David Jones, illuminates the life and work of one of the great but lost Modernists. His epic war poem, In Parenthesis, based on his experiences in the trenches was heralded by WH Auden as' the greatest book about the First World War'. His paintings, the watercolours in particular, reveal an extraordinary talent, and his engravings and inscriptions were inventive and critically acclaimed. This biography not only examines his work, it also shines a light on his personal life, examining his Catholic faith, his deep interest in his Welsh roots, and also the psychological damage resulting from his experiences on the front during the Great War.

Thomas Dilworth is an authority on David Jones and his work, and has written extensively about him. Commissioned in 1987 David Jones: Engraver, Soldier, Painter has been a labour of love for some thirty years.

Abridged by Sara Davies
Read by Nicholas Farrell
Produced by Elizabeth Allard.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b08lglt1

[Tony · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent biography of David Jones. I have to confess that prior to March 2021 my knowledge of David Jones was limited to the fact that he had written a book called 'In Parenthesis' that was about World War One. I bought a copy and then it sat on my shelf for, well, a couple of years in its austere Faber & Faber cover. Then I read it. Having finished it I was convinced this was one of the best things I'd ever read. So, I wanted to know more about David Jones.

I bought the Kindle edition, but I'd advise you to splash out on a hard copy because this book contains a lot of examples of his artwork and the Kindle doesn't do them justice.

This biography manages to do two things well. It gives you an insight into Jones as a human being and it gives you an idea of his intellectual and artistic history. You get the full picture of an artist. Sometimes biographies do one, but not the other. Jones comes across as a fascinating human being and this books makes me want to go track down as many of his paintings as I possibly can. I also want to read more of his poetry. I have a copy of The Anathemata, which is his other long poem, after In Parenthesis so I think I'll start there.

You get the impression that, somehow, David Jones has slipped out of the national mindset. I think 'In Parenthesis', hard though it is, should be taught in every British school because it serves both as a fantastic work in its own right and a door to a whole list of other artwork. Perhaps Jones isn't the superstar he should be because religion was such an influence, perhaps because he wasn't a left-wing rebel or a particularly rock 'n' roll type of poet.

He seems to have struggled post-World War One. He seemed to struggle with the real world after that. He was the poet who spent the longest time on the frontline in World War One and that kind of thing, as I know from other reading I've done, has a lifelong effect on you.

But yes if you want to know more about David Jones as both artist and person this is the book for you. And you'll come out the other side with a long reading list.

[Brigitte · Rating 4 out of 5]

An excellent biography of David Jones, especially useful for my research purposes--identifying and listing the influences for his poetry. I wish the chapters hadn't been SO long. The biography does a good job of establishing Jones as a Christian modernist who rivals Eliot and Auden. I don't know why more people don't know Jones; because they should.

[Hamish Danks Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Exceptional. The book of the year so far. Sublime biography of an incredible and singular artist, poet and believer.

[Cooper Renner · Rating 5 out of 5]

First-rate biography of modernist poet and artist.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think I’m going to be thinking about this book (or more so about the life of David Jones) for the next 60 years, and then probably a few more after that.