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In his draft Preface, Wilfred Owen includes his well-known statement 'My subject is War, and the pity of War. The Poetry is in the pity'. All of his important poems were written in just over a year, and Dulce et Decorum Est, S.I.W., Futility and Anthem for Doomed Youth still have an astonishing power to move the reader. Owen pointed out that 'All a poet can do today is to warn. That is why all true Poets must be truthful'. His warning was based on his acute observation of the soldiers with whom he served on the Western Front, and his poems reflect the horror and the waste of the First World War. This volume contains all Owen's best-known poems, only four of which were published in his lifetime. He was killed a week before the Armistice in November 1918.
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The twentieth century was the most murderous in recorded history. Read the first page
Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
The twentieth century was the most murderous in recorded history. Read the first page
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Front Cover | Copyright | Table of Contents | Excerpt | Index | Back Cover
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
44 of 45 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I have found in this edition a number of poems which I failed to find in any other collection of his works.
Some of these poems included in this edition are less well known than "Strange Meeting" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth".
The introduction offered is enlightening and informative, which I found useful in my study of Owen's work.
Owen is by far one of the best poets of his time and of the 20th century, and this collection offers the best of his poetry. The collection is poignantly concluded with "Strange Meeting" which was his last work, the one he never lived to complete.
I recommend this collection to all those who admire his poems and/or have been seeking some of his rarer pieces.
Some of these poems included in this edition are less well known than "Strange Meeting" and "Anthem for Doomed Youth".
The introduction offered is enlightening and informative, which I found useful in my study of Owen's work.
Owen is by far one of the best poets of his time and of the 20th century, and this collection offers the best of his poetry. The collection is poignantly concluded with "Strange Meeting" which was his last work, the one he never lived to complete.
I recommend this collection to all those who admire his poems and/or have been seeking some of his rarer pieces.
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
If there ever could be such a thing as objectively good literature, this would get my vote. I cannot think of any other collection of poetry that moves me with so much immediacy, vigour, fortitude and dignity. For my part, I feel somewhat ashamed that I cannot read 'Dolce et Decorum Est', even to myself, without being overwhelmed. I have yet to be able to intone this poem without my voice cracking as the emotions overtake me. This is not poetry for the faint-hearted.
I am no pacifist and I deeply respect those who are willing to fight for our freedoms, but that doesn't mean that I have any eagerness for conflict - far from it. There is a wonderful line from Thomas Paine 'If there's going to be a war, let it be now while I'm young so that my child may live in peace.' But to quote Paine in this regard does an injustice to Owen and to Paine. The First World War was a blasphemy by any stretch of the imagination. It was, to my historically barely literate understanding, an imploding of European powers fighting for their own self interest, not a war of emancipation such as Paine was invoking.
The essence of totalitarianism is in the abnegation of poetry, not just in the literal, but in the metaphorical sense as well. Our lives. Our poetry.
If you are unfamiliar with Owen's poetry, may I urge you to try this book. It is more powerful and direct than I can convey. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest works of literature and, for this reader at least, genuinely and greatly humbling.
I am no pacifist and I deeply respect those who are willing to fight for our freedoms, but that doesn't mean that I have any eagerness for conflict - far from it. There is a wonderful line from Thomas Paine 'If there's going to be a war, let it be now while I'm young so that my child may live in peace.' But to quote Paine in this regard does an injustice to Owen and to Paine. The First World War was a blasphemy by any stretch of the imagination. It was, to my historically barely literate understanding, an imploding of European powers fighting for their own self interest, not a war of emancipation such as Paine was invoking.
The essence of totalitarianism is in the abnegation of poetry, not just in the literal, but in the metaphorical sense as well. Our lives. Our poetry.
If you are unfamiliar with Owen's poetry, may I urge you to try this book. It is more powerful and direct than I can convey. It is, in my opinion, one of the greatest works of literature and, for this reader at least, genuinely and greatly humbling.
4 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
A great collection of poems that resonate with the modern times. Very poignant.
My particular favorite is "Disabled" (although I quite like Dulce et Decorum Est), which tells of a man and his return from war, having been disabled. It describes life after, the differences to his life before and the reaction of others to him. I saw many similarities between this and the feelings described in the Kenny Rogers song Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town, where the main character is a veteran from the Vietnam War.
My particular favorite is "Disabled" (although I quite like Dulce et Decorum Est), which tells of a man and his return from war, having been disabled. It describes life after, the differences to his life before and the reaction of others to him. I saw many similarities between this and the feelings described in the Kenny Rogers song Ruby Don't Take Your Love to Town, where the main character is a veteran from the Vietnam War.
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