John Betjeman was without question the most popular poet of the twentieth century and his poems have been bought and read by millions. He opened eyes to what before him had seemed ordinary but is now unforgettable. There is no other poet remotely like him and this collection of favourites is a perfect reminder of his extraordinary originality and appeal. It is perfect too for those who still have in store the pleasure of discovery.
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An excellent gift edition
(Bookseller 20051125)'A true poet who extends experience' (Margaret Lane 20051125)
'His humour is remarkably versatile, for it can be used to serve both his deepest love and his most remorseless hatred' (Observer 20051125)
'His poems spring from what he really feels about real life, and as a result he brings back to poetry a sense of dramatic urgency it had all but lost' (Philip Larkin 20051125)
'Betjeman is perhaps as completely original a writer as has ever existed' (Times Literary Supplement 20051125)
'A century of John Betjeman'
(Waterstone's Books Quarterly 20060501)'A lovely little anthology full of old friends'
(Nottingham Evening Post 20060501)
'A beautifully produced and attractive edition which would make a lovely gift'
(The Oldie 20060501)About the Author
John Betjeman was born on August 28th, 1906, in London. He was educated at Magdalen College, Oxford. In 1931, his first book of poems, 'Mount Zion', was published. He was knighted in 1969 and was made Poet Laureate in 1972. He died in 1984 at his home and was buried in the nearby church of St.Enodoc.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A good selection, displaying Betjeman's great range - and his limitations
25 April 2009
By Jeremy Bevan
TOP 500 REVIEWER
Format:Paperback
A fine collection of favourite Betjeman poems, showing both the poetic heights and the trite, versifying depths of which he was capable (`Longfellow's Visit to Venice' is a grim example of the latter). The collection covers a remarkable range of themes - here you'll find Betjeman on faith, sin and guilt/regret (`Late-flowering lust', `Sun and fun', `Remorse'); on the fear of death (`Senex'); and on death made banal (`Death in Leamington'). Poems on architecture abound, too, as well as on the changing landscapes, both literal and social, of twentieth century life, with its whimsical little conventions (`Hunter Trials'), loneliness (`Business Girls') and childhood fears ('Original Sin on the Sussex Coast'). And we see (too much of ?) Betjeman's predilection for buxom women (`A subaltern's love-song', `The Olympic girl').
Perhaps because it's such a wide-ranging collection, we see the faults, too: the irritating changes of tone, the refusal to remain serious when he has created moments of high solemnity, as in the final lines of `In Westminster Abbey': `And now, dear Lord, I cannot wait/Because I have a luncheon date'. Betjeman is at his best when giving full and unfettered rein to his spirituality and his insecurities; or when he fuses together in one poem his different passions, as in `Sunday Morning, King's Cambridge', with its happy marriage of architectural detail, finely observed, and the sense of the worship of the eternal captured in a moment. Highly recommended for those wanting to explore the extraordinary range of Betjeman's poetry, and glimpse something of the complex man behind them.
Perhaps because it's such a wide-ranging collection, we see the faults, too: the irritating changes of tone, the refusal to remain serious when he has created moments of high solemnity, as in the final lines of `In Westminster Abbey': `And now, dear Lord, I cannot wait/Because I have a luncheon date'. Betjeman is at his best when giving full and unfettered rein to his spirituality and his insecurities; or when he fuses together in one poem his different passions, as in `Sunday Morning, King's Cambridge', with its happy marriage of architectural detail, finely observed, and the sense of the worship of the eternal captured in a moment. Highly recommended for those wanting to explore the extraordinary range of Betjeman's poetry, and glimpse something of the complex man behind them.
Format:Hardcover
Excellent book featuring most of John Betjemans best works, I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and will continue picking it up in years to come to endulge myself.Best Loved Poems of John Betjeman
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