The Waste Land
A Biography of a Poem
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The Waste Land
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Narrated by:
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Matthew Hollis
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By:
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Matthew Hollis
About this listen
The Waste Land has been called the 'World's Greatest Poem'. It is said to describe the moral decay of a world after war, to find meaning in a meaningless era. It has been labelled the most truthful poem of its time; it has been branded a masterful fake. A century after its publication in 1922, T. S. Eliot's enigmatic masterpiece remains one of the most influential works ever written, and yet one of the most mysterious.
In a remarkable feat of biography, Matthew Hollis reconstructs the intellectual creation of the poem and brings the material reality of its charged times vividly to life. Presenting a mosaic of historical fragments, diaries, dynamic literary criticism and illuminating new research, he reveals the cultural and personal trauma that forged The Waste Land through the lives of its protagonists - of Ezra Pound, who edited it; of Vivien Eliot, who sustained it; and of 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.
©2022 Matthew Hollis (P)2022 Faber AudioListeners also enjoyed...
Critic reviews
"With elegance, wit and...warmth, [Hollis] tells the story of The Waste Land’s difficult birth... At times the book reads, delightfully, as a group biography of modernism’s bright lights." (Susannah Goldsbrough, The Times)
"Hollis succeeds brilliantly in bringing the literary landscape of the 1920s to life… [He] turns a complex process of literary composition into a rattling good story...wonderfully compelling." (Tristram Fane Saunders, Sunday Telegraph)
What listeners say about The Waste Land
Average customer ratingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mrs. K. G. Hayhow
- 23-01-23
Enlightening
Very good account of the making of the Waste Land from a literary and biographical perspective.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Miss Moira J Mitchell
- 15-05-24
Thoroughly researched and beautifully written
Excellent research and presentation in this well proportioned biography of a poem pitched perfectly for a wide audience and read by the author.
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Mary
- 03-11-23
I would never have dared tackle poem without this
.. but it is a book of far more interest than just a guide. It gave me an insight into the inception, creation and fine tuning of a poem, it connected seemingly unrelated stuff about the Twenties and Thirties (with which I was already familiar) in new, unexpected ways and it shed light on the character and personality of the poet. A wonderful book, well read.
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2 people found this helpful
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Overall3 out of 5 stars
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Performance1 out of 5 stars
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Story4 out of 5 stars
- T Bailey
- 17-07-23
Good book, rotten reading.
There seems to be an increasing number of authors who read their own books. In this case, it is not a success. The reading is frankly dreadful. A producer is credited; this producer surely should have said this is not working from the start. The production is a shame as the book is very good; a fascinating mix of history, literary criticism, gossip and lots of poetry.
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2 people found this helpful