1922*1st* Last Poems - A. E. Housman(Grant Richards)
Nice copy gilt to cover and spine. Black boards.
Last Poems is a poetry collection by A.E. Housman, published in 1922. This collection came 26 years after his renowned work, A Shropshire Lad (1896), which had established Housman as a major poet. Like A Shropshire Lad, Last Poems is marked by themes of mortality, the passage of time, unrequited love, war, and the fleeting nature of life. Housman`s poetry is known for its elegance, simplicity, and emotional depth, often using traditional forms and rhyme schemes to explore melancholic subjects.
Background:
Housman had not intended to release another collection of poetry after A Shropshire Lad. However, he had been writing poems privately throughout his life, and after the death of his close friend Moses Jackson, Housman decided to publish some of the verses that he had previously set aside. Last Poems includes many personal reflections, possibly influenced by Housman’s own emotional struggles, including his unrequited love for Jackson, who had been a significant presence in his life.
Themes:
- Mortality and Death: As in his earlier work, death plays a central role in Last Poems. Housman contemplates death not just as a universal inevitability, but as a deeply personal experience. The melancholy acceptance of mortality is present in many of the poems, reflecting a stoic resignation.
- War and Loss: Like A Shropshire Lad, which was often associated with the soldiers of World War I, Last Poems touches on the sorrow of war, with the recurring theme of young lives being cut short and the grief that follows.
- Love and Longing: The poems also explore themes of love, often unreciprocated or unattainable.
