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Selected PoemsEdmund BlundenEdited by Robyn Marsack
Categories: 20th Century, British, War writings
Imprint: Fyfield Books Publisher: Carcanet Press Available as:
Edmund Blunden (1896-1974) described himself, at the close of his classic memoir Undertones of War, as a 'harmless young shepherd in a soldier's coat.' The characterization points to the most persistent themes in Blunden's work: the English countryside, particularly that of Sussex and Kent, and the First World War. His intimate knowledge of rural life, his delight in its continuity of tradition, the pleasure he took in angling and cricket, the fruits of his time in Japan and Hong Kong-all these are present in the poems, yet beside them marches a less consoling vision of the world, tempered by his experience of war. Images of destruction and desolation rise up with a disquieting power. This selection, drawing on a wide range of subject matter, emphasizes Blunden's gift for precise, delicate observation and his mastery of diverse poetic form. His first poem appeared in 1914; The Shepherd in 1922 made his reputation. We can now see him as one of the best Georgians, a man deeply acquainted with that tradition of English poetry which includes Clare — of whose work he was a pioneering editor — and Hardy, and advancing it in his work. Yet the picture that emerges from this edition will unsettle a reader's expectations of the pleasantly pastoral, revealing a poet of quiet authority and haunting imagination. The compiler of this selection, Robyn Marsack, is an editor and translator living in Glasgow. She has also edited a collection of Thomas Bewick's wood-engravings for the Fyfield series, and Blunden's Fall in Ghosts: Selected War Prose.
Praise for Edmund Blunden
'Some 130 of Blunden's most representative poems are presented in a sympathetic format. Read in conjunction with the insightful introduction and thought provoking post-script, Robyn provides the reader with Blunden's unique perspective as a fighting soldier/survivor. In particular, how war pervades the mind of the survivor for life; how war becomes a condition of mind, which poses the question of the link between memory and identity and how the two coexist.'
Philip Underwood, Edmund Blunden Society Praise for Robyn Marsack 'Readers will be drawn to this book for the poets' letters, but what really dominates is the personality of Schmidt; at the end we are left with a prevailing sense of his editorial vision and an appreciation of his influence and accomplishment in the world of contemporary poetry publishing and criticism... Fifty Fifty is full of energy and play, and not a few crossed swords.' Kevin Gardner, Wild Court 'A window into the award-winning world of Carcanet' Tristram Fane Saunders, The Telegraph 'In celebration of the Manchester-based press' 50th anniversary, a fascinating collection of letters... tracing the eventful history of this small, ambitious and excellent press.' The Bookseller
You might also be interested in:
Fall in, Ghosts
Edmund Blunden, Edited by Robyn Marsack |
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