[Clive Watkins]

An interesting piece by Austin Allen – "Notes from Auden Land: Why Auden is as essential to our times as Orwell": https://www.poetryfoundation.org/fea.../detail/141830.

Clive Watkins

[Michael F]

Thanks for the link, Clive. I love to read anything on Auden, and Jarrell is perhaps my favorite critic.

(Deleted rest of post. I need to get back to poetry. Sorry.)

[Gregory Dowling]

Thanks, Clive. I think it's a marvellous essay. And it strengthens my conviction that Auden is one of the greatest poets of the last century. I love the final section of the essay on 'September 1, 1939'.

[David Callin]

A good link. I enjoyed reading that. Thank you.

It's prompted me to share this (which I think is publicly available, not hidden for the delectation of subscribers only) - http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2014.../secret-auden/

Apologies if it's appeared here before.

[William A. Baurle]

That's a great article, David.

And I agree, Gregory, that Auden was certainly one of the greatest C20 poets. There were so many great poets born in the last century that it's virtually impossible to say who was the greatest, but he might get my vote, along with Lowell, Hecht, and Wilbur. I'm far more familiar with American poets, but there are a slew of great English language poets born in C20 - like Walcott, just to name one.

[John Isbell]

I agree with Bill, that NYRB article is fine piece. Nice to hear about Auden the man as well as Auden the poet. I could study Auden more than I have.