Critics have noted that Auden’s early verse suggests the influences of Thomas Hardy, Laura (Riding) Jackson, Wilfred Owen, and Edward Thomas. Auden’s first book of poetry, Poems, was privately printed by Stephen Spender in 1928. The group adhered to various Marxist and anti-fascist doctrines and addressed social, political, and economic concerns in their writings. It was also at Oxford that Auden became the pivotal member of a group of writers called the “Oxford Group” or the “Auden Generation,” which included Stephen Spender, C. While at Oxford, Auden became familiar with modernist poetry, particularly that of T.S. His attraction to science never completely waned, however, and scientific references are frequently found in his poetry. Auden’s early interest in science and engineering earned him a scholarship to Oxford University, where his fascination with poetry led him to change his field of study to English. His father, a prominent physician with an extensive knowledge of mythology and folklore, and his mother, a strict Anglican, both exerted strong influences on Auden’s poetry. Today he is considered one of the most skilled and creative mid-20th century poets who regularly wrote in traditional rhyme and meter.Īuden was born and raised in a heavily industrial section of northern England. Throughout his career, he collaborated with Christopher Isherwood and Louis MacNeice, and also frequently joined with Chester Kallman to create libretti for musical works by Benjamin Britten, Igor Stravinsky, and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Auden’s poetry is considered versatile and inventive, ranging from the tersely epigrammatic to book-length verse, and incorporating a vast range of scientific knowledge. Some critics have called Auden an anti-Romantic-a poet of analytical clarity who sought for order, for universal patterns of human existence. While the teachings of Marx and Freud weighed heavily in his early work, they later gave way to religious and spiritual influences. Much of his poetry is concerned with moral issues and evidences a strong political, social, and psychological context. Auden won the Pulitzer Prize in 1948 for The Age of Anxiety. Just before World War II broke out, Auden emigrated to the United States where he met the poet Chester Kallman, who became his lifelong lover.

His first book, Poems, was published in 1930 with the help of T.S. Auden grew up in Birmingham, England and was known for his extraordinary intellect and wit. English poet, playwright, critic, and librettist Wystan Hugh Auden exerted a major influence on the poetry of the 20th century.

Collected Poems by W.H. Auden