Poems Written Abroad is the first publication of the earliest collection of poetry by the famous poet, novelist, literary critic, translator, and radical, Sir Stephen Spender (1909-1995). Spender wrote and compiled this manuscript in 1927, when he was living in Nantes and Lausanne. In tone and diction, Spender’s poems range from creatively traditional to unexpectedly innovative. They reflect his reading in Shakespeare and French poetry, as well as his absorption in music and modern art. They also document his struggles with his sexual identity and his emerging desire to devote his life, at whatever cost, to the writing of poetry.
This beautiful facsimile edition, authorized by the Spender estate, faithfully reproduces the features of the original manuscript now held by the Lilly Library, including the frontispiece, an ink drawing by Spender himself, and little-known photographs of the poet. The editor’s extensive introduction and detailed explanatory notes situate Spender’s juvenilia in the context of his life and work and the history of modern poetry. The volume will appeal to readers with interests in modern poetry, gender studies, and fine books.
Tabella dei contenuti
Introduction
A Note on the Text
He arrives at the town
Sonnet on Absence
He finds the town
The Chateau Garden
He does not like the youth
Stanzas
There are roses
She Holds a Rose
He is astounded by the oppressiveness
Fragment for a Possible Romance
Two sonnets of indignation
Two Sonnets
The Confession of the Monk
To a Poet
The boy who was called ‘the Nightingale’
The Original Bluebeard
Written after the Fête de Dieu
A Sonnet to be Beautifully Printed
After Ronsard
Tail-Piece
Ballad of Money
Clair de Lune
To W.E.P.
Consolation of Dust
Epitaph on a Poet
Abbreviations and Endnotes
Explanatory Notes
Bibliography
Acknowledgements
Circa l’autore
Christoph Irmscher is Provost Professor of English and Director of the Wells Scholars Program at Indiana University. His many books include Louis Agassiz: Creator of American Science and Max Eastman: A Life.
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