The waste land

Matthew Hollis

£12.99

In stock

‘The Waste Land’ is the greatest poem of the age. But a century after its publication in 1922, T.S. Eliot’s masterpiece remains a work of comparative mystery. In this gripping account, award-winning biographer Matthew Hollis reconstructs the making of the poem and brings its times vividly to life. He tells the story of the cultural and personal trauma that forged the poem through the interleaved lives of its protagonists – of Ezra Pound, who edited it, of Vivien Eliot, who endured it, and of T.S. Eliot himself whose private torment is woven into the fabric of the work. The result is an unforgettable story of lives passing in opposing directions: Eliot’s into redemptive stardom, Vivien’s into despair, Pound’s into unforgiving darkness.

ISBN: 9780571297221 Category:

Description

** Chosen as a New Statesman, Financial Times, Observer and Sunday Times Book of the Year **

A riveting account of the making of T. S. Eliot’s celebrated poem The Waste Land on its centenary.

‘A rattling good story’ Sunday Telegraph
‘A work of art’ Times Literary Supplement

The Waste Land has been called the ‘World’s Greatest Poem’. It has been labelled the most truthful poem of its time; it has been branded a masterful fake. More than a century after its publication in 1922, T. S. Eliot’s enigmatic masterpiece remains one of the most influential works ever written.

In a remarkable feat of biography, Matthew Hollis reconstructs the creation of the poem and brings the material reality of its charged times vividly to life. He reveals the cultural and personal trauma that forged The Waste Land through the lives of its protagonists – Ezra Pound, who edited it; Vivien Eliot, who sustained it; and T. S. Eliot himself, whose private torment is woven into the seams of the work. The result is an unforgettable story of lives passing in opposing directions and the astounding literary legacy they would leave behind.

Additional information

Weight 0.462 kg
Dimensions 19.8 × 12.9 × 3.3 cm
Author

Publisher

Imprint

Cover

Paperback

Pages

304

Language

English

Edition
Dewey

821.912 (edition:23)

Readership

General – Trade / Code: K

Join our Mailing List

Sign up to the Jaffé & Neale newsletters to receive updates on forthcoming titles we’re excited about, book club information and book signing events at the store.