Like Pinners contemporaneous 1973 Stalin play The Teddy Bears Picnic; Oh; To Be In England was unproduceable at the time of its writing because of its unapologetic skewering of political extremism in the UK. Unlike The Teddy Bears Picnic; which finally ran in 1990 to press acclaim; Oh; To Be In England has remained lost. After thirty-five years; it is now receiving its world premiere after thirty five years. Frighteningly prescient; and tragically current; Oh; To Be In England is a dark comedy examining what it means to live in an ex-empire in economic free-fall; and the political and personal extremism that results when all other belief is lost. A middle-aged Englishman; bred to believe in his innate superiority as a birthright of class; race; and gender; loses his job in the City. Left floundering impotently in a world that is no longer cricket; his family; security; and sanity follow close behind.
#2696926 in eBooks 2011-08-01 2011-08-01File Name: B00AKFG2KW
Review
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. 1909- Not the collected shorter poems.By Christopher (o.d.c.)The title is one that Ezra Pound and New Directions used for Pounds collected shorter poems; in 1926. By that time; however; Pound had come to despise most of his early poetry; and very few of the poems in this 1909 collection made the cut.The young Pound was very obviously a sedulous devotee of Robert Browning- the whole notion of Personae (masks) implies that the poems are in different voices; like Brownings men and women:MasksThese tales of old disguisings; are they notStrange myths of souls that found themselves amongUnwonted folk that spake a hostile tongue;Some soul from all the rest whod not forgotThe star-span acres of a former lotWhere boundless mid the clouds his course he swung;Or carnate with his elder brothers sungEer ballad makers lisped of Camelot?Old singers half-forgetful of their tunes;Old painters colour-blind come back once more;Old poets skilless in the wind-heart runes;Old wizards lacking in their wonder-lore:All they that with strange sadness in their eyesPonder in silence oer earths queynt devyse?This Pound is more romantic than modern; although there are hints that he was finding his way:Revolt Against the crepuscular spirit in modern poetryI would shake off the lethargy of this our time; and giveFor shadows--shapes of powerFor dreams--men."It is better to dream than do"? Aye! and; No!Aye! if we dream great deeds; strong men;Hearts hot; thoughts mighty. No! if we dream pale flowers;Slow-moving pageantry of hours that languidlyDrop as oer-ripened fruit from sallow trees.If so we live and die not life but dreams;Great God; grant life in dreams;Not dalliance; but life!0 of 0 people found the following review helpful. Five StarsBy CustomerConsidering the date of publication there is no other author with the depth; and beauty; of Ezra Pound.2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Artist of the beautiful.By xThis collection of Pounds earlier poems is the necessary companion of any modern poet. Especially noteworthy; and on display here; is the Pound Rhythm. Pound wrote poetry that embodied its own music. There is much to learn from Pound and in this volume he can be approached without the annotated index that is needed to tackle The Cantos.