W. H. Auden in Greenwich Village, by Richard Avedon

Let us celebrate the birthday of W. H. Auden, that immensely gifted poet and thinker!

My first book was about him, and I have edited two of his long poems, The Age of Anxiety and (coming soon) For the Time Being: A Christmas Oratorio.

Why do I think so highly of him and return to him so often? Well, here are some essays and reviews that might help to explain:

Also, you might be interested in the syllabus for a course Auden taught at the University of Michigan in 1941.

But above all, read the poems!