What W. H. Auden Can Do for You

Author: Alexander McCall Smith

Publisher: Princeton University Press

ISBN: 0691234531

Category: Literary Collections

Page: 152

View: 2031


Bestselling novelist Alexander McCall Smith's charming account of how the poet W. H. Auden has helped guide his life—and how he might guide yours, too When facing a moral dilemma, Isabel Dalhousie—Edinburgh philosopher, amateur detective, and title character of a series of novels by best-selling author Alexander McCall Smith—often refers to the great twentieth-century poet W. H. Auden. This is no accident: McCall Smith has long been fascinated by Auden. Indeed, the novelist, best known for his No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series, calls the poet not only the greatest literary discovery of his life but also the best of guides on how to live. In this book, McCall Smith has written a charming personal account about what Auden has done for him—and what he just might do for you. Part self-portrait, part literary appreciation, the book tells how McCall Smith first came across the poet's work in the 1970s, while teaching law in Belfast, a violently divided city where Auden's "September 1, 1939," a poem about the outbreak of World War II, strongly resonated. McCall Smith goes on to reveal how his life has related to and been inspired by other Auden poems ever since. For example, he describes how he has found an invaluable reflection on life's transience in "As I Walked Out One Evening," while "The More Loving One" has provided an instructive meditation on unrequited love. McCall Smith shows how Auden can speak to us throughout life, suggesting how, despite difficulties and change, we can celebrate understanding, acceptance, and love for others. An enchanting story about how art can help us live, this book will appeal to McCall Smith's fans and anyone curious about Auden.

W.H. Auden

Author: Ronald Carter

Publisher: N.A

ISBN: N.A

Category: English poetry

Page: 62

View: 7448


Persona Grata

Author: Cecil Beaton,Kenneth Tynan

Publisher: N.A

ISBN: N.A

Category: Actors

Page: 172

View: 7502


"This book is an alphabetical anthology of unique human beings; a portrait gallery in words and photographs of a hundred living people whom we, its self-appointed curators, both admire"--Foreword.

John Chamberlain

Author: John Chamberlain

Publisher: Distributed Art Pub Incorporated

ISBN: N.A

Category: Installations (Art)

Page: 52

View: 6518


Artwork by John Chamberlain, Lawrence Weiner. Contributions by Julie Sylvester.

W.H. Auden

Author: David Garrett Izzo

Publisher: N.A

ISBN: N.A

Category:

Page: 540

View: 6626


New York Times Saturday Review of Books and Art

Author: N.A

Publisher: N.A

ISBN: N.A

Category: Books

Page: 1284

View: 3588


Presents extended reviews of noteworthy books, short reviews, essays and articles on topics and trends in publishing, literature, culture and the arts. Includes lists of best sellers (hardcover and paperback).