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World Within World: The Autobiography of Stephen Spender (Modern Library)
Presents the British poet's autobiography, including portraits of friends Virginia Woolf, T.S. Eliot, W.H. Auden, W.B. Yeats, and Christopher Isherwood.
Hardcover
,
432 pages
Published
January 2nd 2001
by Modern Library
(first published 1951)
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Community Reviews
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"In the dormitory, in the watches of the night, I thought that one day I would write a book which would contain the truth to which I bore witness. What I would say was perfectly clear to me. It was this: everyone is occupied in blindly pursuing his own ends, and yet beneath his aims, and beneath his attempts to escape from solitude by conforming with the herd-like behavior of those around him, he wants something quite different from the standards of human institutions, and this thing which he wa
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c1951. Before I read this, I had no idea of who Spender ((28 February 1909 – 16 July 1995) was but I was going through a non-fiction stage. Disturbing relationships which must have caused a real buzz when first published. It is beautifully written but of its time. There is a sort of local connection as he went to school in Worthing but he wasn't very happy there. Spender is succinctly described by Christoper Hitchens writing in The Atlantic as "The vaguely preposterous Stephen Spender spent a gr
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Spender's biographical-prose is excellent, he has a way of expressing feelings and thoughts and experiences in a way that is both instructive and moving. He came of age at a very dramatic time, to see Germany fall to the Nazis as well as his friendship at Oxford with Auden and eventually Isherwood. The so called "Auden Generation" and yet he also was able to become his own writer and poet, like many of his time he also befriended and engaged in conversation with some of the best writers of his t
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Read for dissertation.
Stephen Spender's autobiography is not only an exploration of his own life, but of the 1930s and the nature of British and European society. Spender's prose is poetic, some lines you read and you have to stop and re-read them again because they are so beautiful - and so true. He puts into words some of the thoughts I've had before but judged to be ineffable. A really informative and enjoyable read.
Stephen Spender's autobiography is not only an exploration of his own life, but of the 1930s and the nature of British and European society. Spender's prose is poetic, some lines you read and you have to stop and re-read them again because they are so beautiful - and so true. He puts into words some of the thoughts I've had before but judged to be ineffable. A really informative and enjoyable read.
Through his memoirs and poetry and recording, I find great comfort in the writings and in the voice of Stephen Spendor. He was the kind of person with whom a friendship would very likely span an entire life. Spender was an elegant moralist who would always see both sides of a problem and be able to give effective and sound advice, beautifully spoken. His poem about bullying moves me every time.
Spender gives a clear, personal, and emotional account of his life in England and Europe, focusing on the late 1920s and 1930s. He was briefly a journalist for the Communist party in Spain during the Civil War, and was a friend of W.H. Auden, Virginia Wolff, and other well-known writers of the day.
I enjoyed this mainly for Spender's reflections about fascism vs. communism 1930s Europe, his memories of his involvement in the Spanish Civil War, and his memories of Christopher Isherwood and W.H. Auden.
One of many good memoirs from literary figures in the early 1900s - interesting first person accounts of Auden, Woolf, Eliot, Isherwood, and Stephen Spender is interesting in himself.
I started 3 times reading this book, finally finished it. Was a bit boring in the begin, but it became fascinating stuff later.
Jun 25, 2008
Crystal
is currently reading it
poetic, philosophical, an insight into human relationships through Spender's detailed observations of himself and others.
Is billed as one of the great autobiographies of the 20th Century and it is...
One of the most beautiful things I've ever read. Gave me hope for my future.
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Sir Stephen Harold Spender (1909–1995), English poet, translator, literary critic and editor, was born in London and educated at the University of Oxford, where he first became associated with such other outspoken British literary figures as W. H. Auden, Christopher Isherwood, C. Day Lewis and Louis MacNeice. His book The Thirties and After (1979) recalls these figures and others prominent in the
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