Overview

The Second World War is now recognized as a watershed for British poetry. The changes that arose were masked for some time by the enormous power and shock of the conflict itself, and by the restrictions on poetry publishing consequent on paper rationing and the general business of wartime. This anthology seeks to showcase not only the harrowingly beautiful poetry born from the conflict, but also the radical changes to style and form that came from the epoch and altered the face of British poetry. Featuring generous selections of famous poets, including Dylan Thomas, T. S. Eliot, and W. H. Auden, alongside works by civilians and soldiers, the collection offers a symphony of different voices, all connected in their shared experience of the Second World War.Tim Kendall's introduction charts the history of the war poets' reception, explaining their relationship with their First World War predecessors and some of the reasons why they have never managed to reach such a wide audience. The work of each poet is prefaced with a biographical account which allows poems to be read in their historical context, and every poem is annotated with date of composition, publication history, and a gloss of words and allusions.

Full Product Details

Author:   Tim Kendall (Professor of English, Professor of English, University of Exeter)
Publisher:   Oxford University Press
Imprint:   Oxford University Press
Dimensions:   Width: 12.80cm , Height: 1.00cm , Length: 19.50cm
Weight:   0.200kg
ISBN:  

9780198729082

ISBN 10:   0198729081
Pages:   288
Publication Date:   09 October 2025
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Forthcoming
Availability:   To order  

Table of Contents

Frances Cornford (1886-1960) Edith Sitwell (1887-1964) T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Ruth Pitter (1897-1992) Noël Coward (1899-1973) Stevie Smith (1902-1971) C. Day Lewis (1904-1972) Norman Cameron (1905-1953) Margery Lea (1905-?) W. H. Auden (1907-1973) Louis MacNeice (1907-1963) E. J. Scovell (1907-1999) Stephen Spender (1909-1995) Robert Garioch (1909-1981) Sorley MacLean [Somhairle MacGill-Eain] (1911-1996) John Jarmain (1911-1944) Anne Ridler (1912-2001) F. T. Prince (1912-2003) Henry Reed (1914-1986) Dylan Thomas (1914-1953) Alun Lewis (1915-1944) Charles Causley (1917-2003) Hamish Henderson (1919-2002) Keith Douglas (1920-1944) Edwin Morgan (1920-2010) Drummond Allison (1921-1943) Sidney Keyes (1922-1943) Karen Gershon (1923-1993)

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Author Information

Tim Kendall taught in Oxford, Newcastle and Bristol before taking up a professorship at the University of Exeter in 2006. He has been Head of Department, Director of Research, Director of Impact, and is now the Academic Director of Special Collections. His main research interests are war poetry, William Golding's fiction, nature writing, and archives.

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