Each day this week, the Book Review will present a new essay, game and series of celebrity readings designed to help you memorize a delightful poem. Today’s letter is by Joumana Khatib, an editor at the Book Review (and your usual newsletter writer). Dear readers, I regret that we couldn’t get Wystan Hugh Auden himself to write today’s newsletter, since the latest installment of our Poetry Challenge is all about his life. What a life it was. Born in England in 1907, Auden was recognized as a star in the firmament of modern English poetry soon after he graduated from Oxford in 1928. His work reflected a wide range of influences: psychoanalysis, mysticism, the radical politics of the day. But after moving to the United States in 1939 he gravitated toward Anglican Christianity, and the subjects of his writing became more religious and existential. It’s hard not to wonder how Auden’s romantic longing shaded his poetry, too. There was a near-constant kernel of dissatisfaction in his relationship, as his partner refused sexual exclusivity. You can detect the flavor of resignation and grief in Auden’s work, like the terroir of an oyster: When he describes himself, in this poem, as “the more loving one,” you get the feeling it’s more than philosophical. Of course, it’s also philosophical. But that’s a subject for another day.
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