Wystan Hugh Auden
One of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century
Overview
An accomplished author, playwright, poet, and professor, W.H. Auden was one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century and his work continues to influence modern creative thinkers. Educated at Gresham School, Holt, Christ Church and Oxford, Auden grew up in the household of a physician and scholar, surrounded by academia and science. W.H. Auden’s articulate writing is a reflection of his education and his upbringing as well as the time of which he lived.
Spending the majority of his adolescence in England, as an adult W.H. Auden traveled throughout Europe and later settled for a time in the United States. Auden also found it necessary to complete the procedures for citizenship and became an American citizen in 1946. His travels, working in Germany after the Second World War and going through the citizenship process made an impression on Auden, inspiring poems such as the poignant poem entitled Refugee Blues.
Incredibly thought out, W.H. Auden’s writing is purposeful and contains more than just sentiment. Containing various themes, Auden focused on the human condition and questioned societal norms and values. Other categories of Auden’s work include romance, nature, as well as religious, ethical and political rhetoric centering on major issues during the world wars.
Over his lifetime, W.H. Auden taught at several schools, wrote numerous operas, books, plays, and poems garnering him fame and admiration amongst intellectuals circles. Taught in universities throughout the world his work still maintains a high regard and continues to inspire new generations of scholars who undoubtedly will become the W.H. Auden’s of tomorrow.
An accomplished author, playwright, poet, and professor, W.H. Auden was one of the greatest literary minds of the 20th century and his work continues to influence modern creative thinkers. Educated at Gresham School, Holt, Christ Church and Oxford, Auden grew up in the household of a physician and scholar, surrounded by academia and science. W.H. Auden’s articulate writing is a reflection of his education and his upbringing as well as the time of which he lived.
Spending the majority of his adolescence in England, as an adult W.H. Auden traveled throughout Europe and later settled for a time in the United States. Auden also found it necessary to complete the procedures for citizenship and became an American citizen in 1946. His travels, working in Germany after the Second World War and going through the citizenship process made an impression on Auden, inspiring poems such as the poignant poem entitled Refugee Blues.
Incredibly thought out, W.H. Auden’s writing is purposeful and contains more than just sentiment. Containing various themes, Auden focused on the human condition and questioned societal norms and values. Other categories of Auden’s work include romance, nature, as well as religious, ethical and political rhetoric centering on major issues during the world wars.
Over his lifetime, W.H. Auden taught at several schools, wrote numerous operas, books, plays, and poems garnering him fame and admiration amongst intellectuals circles. Taught in universities throughout the world his work still maintains a high regard and continues to inspire new generations of scholars who undoubtedly will become the W.H. Auden’s of tomorrow.
This site contains analysis of a randomly selected poem by W.H. Auden entitled Funeral Blues, by Darcie Smith for the University of Oklahoma’s Modern British Poetry Course. As there are few online sources for Funeral Blues analysis, it is an excellent candidate for this website's analysis page.