Eliot: Poems

by T.S. Eliot, Peter Washington (Editor)

T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) was the dominant force in twentieth-century British and American poetry. With poems such as "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, " he introduced an edgy, disenchanted, utterly contemporary version of French Symbolism to the English-speaking world. With his masterpiece "The Waste Land, " he almost single-handedly ushered an entire poetic culture into the modern world. And with his enormously influential essays he set the canonical standards to which writers and critics of poetry have adhered throughout our era.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Nonfiction

224 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1955

About the author

Thomas Stearns Eliot was a poet, dramatist and literary critic. He received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1948 "for his outstanding, pioneer contribution to present-day poetry." He wrote the poems The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, The Hollow Men, Ash Wednesday, and Four Quartets; the plays Murder in the Cathedral and The Cocktail Party; and the essay Tradition and the Individual Talent. Eliot was born an American, moved to the United Kingdom in 1914 (at the age of 25), and became a British subject in 1927 at the age of 39.

See also http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/T.S._Eliot

Reviews

[Patrick Howard · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Waste Land is the centerpiece of Eliot’s collected poetry and is deserving of high praise, though I don’t feel very well-equipped to discuss poetry of such grandeur and stature; suffice to say it is hauntingly evocative, layered with compelling poly-religious themes and imagery.

The collected essays on criticism which form the latter half of this edition are an unexpected addition which deserve as much praise, and which I can elaborate upon just a bit more. In the course of my grad studies on curriculum theory, I’ve become increasingly fixated on the potentialities of aesthetics in social studies education. This has necessitated much greater exploration of aesthetic & critical theory. Eliot’s essays are a very welcome addition I plan to reference in future work, particularly his thoughts on the interconnected nature of aesthetic history and on the prerequisite to criticism of identifying fact.

[Vartika · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Everyman Pocket Library edition presents Peter Washington's selections of some of T S Eliot's most powerful works, split right down the middle between his poetry and essays.

I've always thought of poetry as the ability to fix a moment while still allowing it to float, and Eliot does that with both extraordinary elegance and admirable thought. While much has been said about "The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock" — my own copy of the poem has been marked, underlined and annotated to a point of precariousness — it is the Other Observations from the poet's 1917 collection that occupied my fancy this time, be it the rich, if surreal, imagery in "Rhapsody on a Windy Night," the lilacs in "Portrait of a Lady," the impressionism of "Preludes," or this bit from "Portrait of a Lady":

Now that lilacs are in bloom
She has a bowl of lilacs in her room
And twists one in her fingers while she talks.
"Ah, my friend, you do not know, you do not know
What life is, you who hold it in your hands";
(Slowly twisting the lilac stalks)
"You let it flow from you, you let it flow,
And youth is cruel, and has no remorse
And smiles at situations which it cannot see."
I smile, of course,
And go on drinking tea.

Poems: 1920 was also an interesting collection, although far more elusive — especially since I am not a francophone and had to spend a significant amount of time looking for respectable translations. Even so, I enjoyed "Lune de Miel" the most, and the Sweeney poems did not fail to remind me of my university days. I was, however, rather disappointed by The Waste Land, which is popularly regarded as Eliot's magnum opus as well as one of the most important literary works in the modernist tradition. While its underlying themes — of the global crises of conflict, sex and modernity, as well as that of the poet's breakdown following the war — were tackled commendably and many of the images used caught (and kept) my attention, I felt much of the poem's impact muted by the need and weight of interpretation.

This volume also included some of Eliot's most groundbreaking prose writings and critical essays; I especially enjoyed "Reflections on vers libre" and (of course) "Tradition and the Individual Talent."

I felt uncomfortable (but wasn't surprised) with the anti-semitism and sexism in some of the poems, and found Eliot's affinity towards giving his verse musical titles very heartening. On the whole, however, there's still a vast space between "Prufrock" and "The Hollow Men" in my mind, and I'd like to think a couple more readings will reveal to me a more mature comprehension of the poet as well as of myself.

[Her van Dav · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thomas Stearns Elliot, Premio Nobel de Literatura (1948) "por su contribución sobresaliente y pionera a la poesía moderna", y mejor conocido como T. S. Elliot, es uno de los más grandes poetas de la literatura inglesa del siglo XX. En esta antología n se recogen poemas devotos como el "Canto de Simón", cotidianos como el dedicado a la vida que pasa por su ventana. Sus expresiones y alusiones a la literatura universal lo delatan como un poeta culto. Y claro, aparte de la poesía, ejerció como dramaturgo y crítico literario.

No creo que sea un buen libro para empezar a leer poesía, pero si les gusta, seguro disfrutarán sus poemas.

[Chloe · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn't read all of the essays in the back because I wasn't too interested in the subject matter of some, but I read all of the poetry in this book, so I will consider it read, since the poems are the main point of it.
I find Eliot's work memorable and unique, oftentimes a little confusing and in need of an extensive amount of analysis, but his way with words is truly beautiful and his rhythm is very pleasing to the ear.

[Kevin · Rating 3 out of 5]

I finally managed to finish this and I say that with some embarrassment. As something of a traditionalist conservative I am supposed to like and appreciate Eliot but I will confess to reading the poems with mostly confusion, if some appreciation, and slogging through the criticism. If I am to appreciate T.S. Eliot I think I will need help from more than this volume. I will say, however, that the Everyman's Library editions are simply gorgeous. Beautifully made and designed as to pure joy to hold and read.

[Elisabeth · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was disappointing not so much because of the poems (which I liked and want to read more of) but the edition/collection. More than half of this collection is actually not poetry but essays, and that's not what I wanted when I got this book. Since most of the essays have proven to be not of interest to me, I can only consider this a disappointment.
I'm not giving up on Eliot though, I will definitely check out another edition of his poems sooner or later.

[Olivia · Rating 2 out of 5]

is this....supposed to....make sense.??? also the essays were better than the poetry, without interpretation, which is ironic

[George Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

Disappointing - but what wouldn’t be, compared to Prufrock?

[Anna P (whatIreallyRead)]

[Brian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these are in French, so I can't say that I have a complete understanding of every poem contained within this volume, but I didn't much care for the ones in English. Nothing stood out; it was a collection of over-exulted phrasing. Missing were the vibrant scenes of his first collection, as well as the elevated accessibility. There's nothing here that I would recommend.

[Jack Bowman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a nice snapshot of TS Eliot, my issue with him too much name droipping and a strict adherence to form, basically that's his style; on the positive side; great images, metaphor and thought provoking worth anyone's time.

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quite a few memorable lines and images. Not all of it makes much sense, but I'm not much of a poetry reader anyway. At least, not of this more abstract variety. I realize that, where Eliot is concerned, that pretty much makes me a barbarian.

[Gen Giggles · Rating 3 out of 5]

I actually liked this collection. I am fairly indifferent about most of the poems in here but several are worth reading. Here are examples of Eliot that are worth reading, and better yet its free at Project Gutenburg.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the essays as much as the poetry. His criticism is intelligent and organized so that even I who feel inexperienced in analyzing poetry (I usually read to enjoy) could understand his points.

[جابر طاحون · Rating 4 out of 5]

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