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Distributed for Bodleian Library Publishing

Wilfred Owen

An Illustrated Life

With a Preface by Jon Stallworthy

Distributed for Bodleian Library Publishing

Wilfred Owen

An Illustrated Life

With a Preface by Jon Stallworthy
Wilfred Owen is the “Poet of Pity,” whose realistic portrayals of war gave voice to the soldier wounded, captured, or killed—not just in the Great War but in every war since, so great is the evocative power of his work. Although he saw only five poems published during his lifetime, Owen left behind a wealth of letters and poetry that together form a powerful legacy.
           
This generously illustrated book tells the story of Owen’s life and work, from his birth in 1893 to his tragic death just one week before the signing of the armistice that would end the war. The shocking realism of poems such as “Strange Meeting” and the angry disillusionment of “Anthem for Doomed Youth” reveal Owen’s transformation from a romantic youth steeped in the poetry of Keats to a mature soldier awakened to the horrors of the Western Front.
           
Drawing on numerous manuscripts, artifacts, and family photographs, this book gives a comprehensive view of the relationship between the poet’s lived experience and his writing that will appeal equally to both those well-versed in Owen’s work and those seeking a well-researched, accessible introduction.

144 pages | 60 color plates | 6 x 8 | © 2014

Biography and Letters

Literature and Literary Criticism: British and Irish Literature


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Reviews

A visually stunning book. . . . In Wilfred Owen: An Illustrated Life, Potter pairs an in-depth biography alongside integrated photographic and archival material, much of which has never been in print. This slim but versatile book would serve well as an introduction to Owen for undergraduates as well as a selective resource for academics interested in the poet’s life and writing process.”

ELT Journal

Table of Contents

Foreword
 
Preface
 
1. 1893-1910
Childhood and young adulthood
Oswestry, Birkenhead, Shrewsbury
 
2. 1911-1915
The search for a profession
Dunsden, Bordeaux, The Pyrenees, Mérignac
 
3. 1915-1916
Enlistment and training
London, Romford, Aldershot
 
4. 1917
Active service and shell shock
The Somme and Craiglockhart
 
5. 1918
The last year
Ripon and France
 
6. Owen’s afterlife
Publication, critical reception, canonization
 
Notes
 
Bibliography
 
List of poems
 
Picture Credits
 
Index

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