The Movement: English Poetry and Fiction of the 1950s

by Blake Morrison

First Edition, good quality hardcover, with unclipped dust jacket, mylar coated. DJ shows light edge creasing, and is heavily sunned; inside flap shows previous sticker and staining. Pageblock edges are slightly marked, significantly tanned, and this has leached through to the textblock. However, text is clean, no marginalia noted. CN

336 pages, Hardcover

First published June 1, 1980

About the author

Blake Morrison was educated at Nottingham University, McMaster University and University College, London. After working for the Times Literary Supplement, he went on to become literary editor of both The Observer and the Independent on Sunday before becoming a full-time writer in 1995.

A Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature, and former Chair of the Poetry Book Society and Vice-Chair of PEN, Blake has written fiction, poetry, journalism, literary criticism and libretti, as well as adapting plays for the stage. His best-known works are probably his two memoirs, "And When Did You Last See Your Father?" and "Things My Mother Never Told Me."

Since 2003, Blake has been Professor of Creative and Life Writing at Goldsmiths College. He lives in south London, with his wife and three children.

Reviews

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

I disagree with him -- on Larkin anyway -- but I've got a paper to prove my point. Let's hope it gets published in one form or another. Regardless, this is a seminal work, and a very thorough exploration of what 'The Movement' actually is. It's perceptive and intelligent, which accounts for the rating -- I may not agree but you can't say he didn't do his work -- or that his arguments are shoddy. It is also clearly written (something unconscious?) -- very much showing the same principles of 'rationality' that Morrison argues characterises the Movement. This was published back in 1980, but it's understandable why this is still considered one of the most important books on the Movement. It's a little strained at times, but it's what will happen if you make a 'strong' version of a thesis -- nothing ever fits perfectly -- and thus making a strong claim is usually a little contentious. It's better than being completely bland and agreeable however.