Collected Poems of W. H. Auden

Wystan Hugh (W. H.) Auden is rightly regarded as one of the great poets of the twentieth century. He is one of my favorites because of his great skill with language, his ability to talk about everyday life in wonderfully insightful ways, and to sing while he helps us see what he sees. His even greater gift is to make his words feel as if they came from out of our own mind and heart. We want to possess them. Yet, he was also a very learned man, but his learning always has a point about life rather than allowing him to step into a spotlight for our adulation. You can flip to any page of this volume and find something to wonder at. Even the plainest poems have depths to plumb and the seemingly obscure yield to patient reading. While Auden has a somewhat complicated biography, it would be a mistake to get sidetracked in too many details. While knowing the life of an artist often aids our understanding of his work, it is also a mistake to see too many parallels in his work with the happenstance of his life. Great artists draw on their lives, but they also transcend them. I am very grateful to have this volume in my library.

Auden is at once one of the most interesting and heartfelt poets of the 20th Century, whilst being quite underrated as one of the world's best. This volume does an exceptional job in capturing Auden's works in the way that he himself wanted them to be seen. While there are a multitude of purists who cannot abide by any poet's natural tendency to revise his works as life experiences mold his perspective, that Mendelson made the relatively bold decision to publish the augmented Auden is quite refreshing, in my view. These are the works of a man who transgressed the need for set structures, and didn't sacrifice substance for the sake of style. In essence, his poetry was the truest expression of his ideals. In regards to the book itself, it was tastefully put together, and is a definite asset to any poetry collection. The font and paper stock are smooth and refined, making the poetry easy to read in varying degrees of light. The poems are arranged in a roughly chronological order...once again, the way that Auden himself preferred. Considering that I own a number of old volumes of Auden's poetry --including first editions-- I can assure any potential buyer that Mendelson took no liberties with this volume. I wish other collections could claim the same."Ah, to find a book of a certain Wystan Hugh, Is to find a gem in a field of residue; It has been a long time coming, but in my hands I hold A paper book of Auden, worth its weight in gold"

Responding to Mr. Sympson's comment below, I have to say that, when I was a young man, I was dazzled by Eliot's language. Now approaching middle age, however, I find him a bit cold. Auden, on the other hand, grows in my estimation every time I read him. His grasp of human emotion is second to none among 20th century poets.

Auden remains one of the greatest poets of modern times. His work is complex, rich, and beautiful. Everyone should read him.

Auden is funny, sad, strange, wonderful. Here's a selection from of my favorites:'When it comes,will it come without warning/ Just as I'm picking my nose?/ Will it knock on my door in the morning;/ Or tread in the bus on my toes?/ Will it come like a change in the weather?/ Will its greeting be courteous or rough?/ Will it alter my life altogether?/ O tell me the truth about love.'Auden talks about not only love but also truth, justice, every part of the human experience. Here's a short part of "Musee des Beaux Arts":'About suffering they were never wrong,/ The Old Masters: how well they understood/ Its human position; how it takes place/ While someone else is eating or opening a window or/ just walking dully along.'I cannot find words strong enough to convey how powerful, and how human, this work is.By the way, in his original 'selected works' Auden re-edited several of his most beloved works - many critics said for the worse. In this particular edition the editor included all of the poems that Auden selected as his best, but in their original forms.