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Selected Prose
In addition to writing excellent verse, the Irish poet Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) also wrote lively prose and many pioneering plays for the BBC. This annotated collection includes fifty-one articles of previously neglected topical prose from 1929 to 1963, numerous articles and reviews, several chapters of early books long out of print, and a handful of previously unpublished autobiographical and travel documents on the Blitz, his favorite sport rugby, and philosophy. Heuser also includes an introduction, notes, and a full corrected bibliography of MacNeice's short prose.
328 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1990
5 people want to read
About the author
Louis MacNeice
126 books57 followersBorn 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.
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.
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October 26, 2014
This is a collection of MacNeice's journalism, a companion volume to his selected criticism. As such it feels ephemeral..but at the same time interesting and enjoyable reading...if it's journalism it's MacNeice's journalism.....so it contains many good things: the parody chapter from 'I Crossed the Minch', extracts from Zoo, and then a range of good pieces on a variety of topics rom Rugby to Dogs, the best of which seem to be his 'letters' from London during the Blitz which are a beautifully observed and intelligent record. Or at least a record of an intelligence trying to observe and report in a precisely controlled language balancing the personal horror against the visual experience.
It's also interesting as a social document..it's difficult now to realise (or remember for that matter) how alien America seemed before the world was flooded by what passes for its culture: having been there, returning to England for the War before Pearl Harbour, MacNeice was asked to write and speak about "what it was really like". He does it with humour and punctures the stereo types on both sides of the Atlantic. What makes it interesting is that he records the stereotypes before demolishing them.
Not essential reading unless you're a MacNeice fan but very enjoyable.
It's also interesting as a social document..it's difficult now to realise (or remember for that matter) how alien America seemed before the world was flooded by what passes for its culture: having been there, returning to England for the War before Pearl Harbour, MacNeice was asked to write and speak about "what it was really like". He does it with humour and punctures the stereo types on both sides of the Atlantic. What makes it interesting is that he records the stereotypes before demolishing them.
Not essential reading unless you're a MacNeice fan but very enjoyable.
Displaying 1 of 1 review