Title | : | The Best of Betjeman |
Author | : | |
Rating | : | |
ISBN | : | 0141184329 |
ISBN-10 | : | 9780141184326 |
Language | : | English |
Format Type | : | Paperback |
Number of Pages | : | 240 |
Publication | : | First published November 30, 1978 |
The Best of Betjeman Reviews
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A selection of his poetry. Marvellous, dark and humorous.
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This selection from the works of John Betjeman features poems, prose and a television script. He is most famous for his poems, but to be honest I don't regard these as demonstrating his true strength, despite the fact that some poems such as 'Slough' really are tremendous. For every great poem there are several that are (to me at least) rather insipid. His prose, on the other hand, is nearly always engaging. The big surprise for me was the early short story 'Lord Mount Prospect', a tale from 1929 (when he was only 23 years old) that is beautifully written and evokes a genuinely strange, muted and somewhat blackly comical atmosphere with exquisite skill. I wish he had written more tales along these lines. As for his non-fiction: despite his obsession with the minutiae of church architecture (an obsession I don't share) the easy erudition, inclusive tone and pleasing progression of his prose makes him a very good article writer indeed. The television script was interesting enough in its own way, but surely the film must be seen to be fully appreciated (I have not yet had that pleasure but I hope to one day).
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This is a book full to the brim of a selection of weird and wonderful poems by
John Betjeman Some poems are serious, some are confusing and some are darn right strange but all of them whether they are understood or otherwise are enjoyable to read. The differing rhythms between the poems unique to each other as opposed to being uniform to the author. Great book to keep going back to. -
His wonderful use of English and huge range of subject matter has made this an enjoyable read. His chapters on English Church architecture show th edpth of his knowledge on the subject.
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I come away from this book a Betjeman fan! Yet I can only give it three stars. The poetry is beautiful. Some of the poems went straight to my heart. The prose is interesting, but hardly exciting and not something I would normally read. The television script really gave me nothing. So therefore, taking into account this entire volume, I can only give it three stars. But I will buy and read his collected poems and I’m quiet sure I will love it.
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Really enjoyed the poems and although Betjeman also writes prose beautifully, sadly some of the subject matters that he chose to cover were a bit dry. But he certainly had a way with words; makes me think I ought to read more poetry.
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I enjoyed the dry cynicism of "Slough" and "Metro-land" (sadly the blandness of this suburban dystopia has expanded and multiplied to our detriment). Some crisp writing showing a love of the landscape and the unique beauty of the parish church.
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Betjeman is one of my favourite poets and the poems chosen in this books shows off just way he was the Poet Laureate.
My personal favourite poems in this collection are
- Felixstowe
- Christmas
- In a Bath Teashop
- On a Portait of a Deaf Man -
Not for me bit too Pam Ayres.