The name old possum came from ezra pound, his nickname for eliot. The man who had been nicknamed old possum years before by ezra pound had published the love song of j. Throughout the 1930s he composed the now famous poems about. Old possum s book of practical cats 1939 not only became a bestseller for his publishing house but also thanks to the royalties from andrew lloyd webber. Eliots best friends, played an instrumental role in his friends literary career. Collection includes eeldrop and appleplex, ezra pound his metric and poetry, poems, prufrock and other observations, and more.
The source material, old possum s book of practical cats, is a collection of poems that t. He settled in england in 1915, the year in which he married vivienne haighwood and also met his contemporary ezra pound for the first time. Old possums book of practical cats is a book of comic verse by the american modernist poet t s eliot. Abc of reading 1934 is an exposition of his critical method. A list of poems by ezra pound ezra pound is generally considered the poet most responsible for defining and promoting a modernist aesthetic in poetry. Eliot at the top, but the central banner statement is. Signin to download and listen to this audiobook today. The academy of american poets is the largest membershipbased nonprofit organization fostering an appreciation for contemporary poetry and supporting american poets. He was an american by birth and moved to the uk at 25 adopting british identity in 1927 at the age of 39. Ezra pound has 342 books on goodreads with 56203 ratings. Old possums book of practical cats the fitzrovia chapel.
His contribution to poetry began with his development of imagism, a movement derived from classical chinese and japanese poetry, stressing clarity, precision, concision, and economy of language. In 1939, eliot published a book of light verse, old possums book of practical cats old possum was ezra pounds nickname for him. Eliots book old possum s book of practical cats might have been a tribute to ezra pound s love of cats, as pound was nicknamed old possum. Old possum s book of practical cats the waste land the love song of j. Eliot and twentyeightyearold ezra pound met on this day in 1914, one of the most famous friendships and collaborations in twentiethcentury literature beginning with a cup of tea in pounds kensington flat. T s eliot ezra pound his metric and poetry first edition 1917. Eliot about feline psychology and sociology, published by faber and. Old possums book of practical cats 1939 is a collection of whimsical light poems by t.
His life story offers insight into the modernist era and the creation of a poet. Old possum and his cat creations a real catperson, eliot had many throughout his life and initially wrote cat poems for his godchildren. Old possums book of practical cats is a collection of whimsical poems by t s eliot about feline. Old possums book of practical cats the illustrated old possum. Ezra pound s most popular book is selected poems of ezra pound. Macavity, the mystery cat mr mistofelees, the original conjuring cat mungojerrie and.
Introduction to early modern literature flashcards quizlet. Valerie eliot founded old possums practical trust in january 1990. In private correspondence, eliot jokily called pound brer rabbit. Alfred prufrock, the waste land, the hollow men, ash wednesday and the ariel poems. After teaching for a year or so he joined lloyds bank in the. Old possum s book of practical cats was published on 5th october 1939 in an edition of 3005 copies at 36d and proved early on to be popular with fans old and new. Old possums book of practical cats 1939 not only became a bestseller for his publishing house but also thanks to the royalties from andrew lloyd webber s eighties stage musical. Zalerts allow you to be notified by email about the availability of new books according to your search query. Old possums book of practical cats by t s eliot the british library. He settled in england in 1915, the year in which he married vivienne haigh wood and also met his contemporary ezra pound for the first time. A champion of americas great writers and timeless works, library of america guides readers in finding and exploring the exceptional writing that reflects the nations history and culture.
Old possum was the nickname by which fellow poet ezra pound referred to ts eliot. Old possums book of practical cats first edition t. Old possums book of practical cats is a book of comic verse by the american modernist poet t s eliot the works contained are nonsense poems in the tradition of edward lear. Bearing in mind eliots penchant for threepart names, including the hero of his wellknown earlier work the love song of j alfred prufrock, and the feline stars of his old possum s book of. The second volume opens with the two books of poems of other kinds that he issued, old possum s book of practical cats and his translation of perses anabase, moving then to verses privately circulated as informal or improper or clubmanlike. Dorothy pound responded with a letter devoted to cat chat, describing how ezra pound s black cat swartz wouldnt walk across the snowcovered rooftops in rapallo. This first edition had an illustration of the author on the cover. Who is the mysterious stetson in ts eliots waste land. This edition of collected poems 19091962 includes his verse from prufrock and other observations 1917 to four quartets 1943, and includes such literary landmarks as the waste land and old possum s book of practical cats. Eliot was nicknamed old possum by his close comrade in modernist poetry, ezra pound il miglior fabbro, the better craftsman, as he is hailed in the dedication to the waste land. Eliots writings ranged from the dark despair of the hollow men, 1925, to the whimsical old possum s book of practical cats, 1939. Eliot was born in hailey, idaho in 1885, an only child whose parents had both. Pound s prose, as well as his poetry, has been extremely influential.
Originally broadcast on bbc radio 4, jeremy irons perceptive reading illuminates the poetry of t. Alfred prufrock through the postwar desolation of the waste land and the spiritual struggle of ashwednesday, to the enduring charm of old possum s book of practical cats. Correct answer old possum s book of practical cats. Aside from the author of old possum s book of practical cats, faber and faber were and always has been deeply committed to poetry and its stable of poets during the eliot era included ezra pound, w. Old possums book of practical cats the british library. Francesca hayward, the pick of the litter in cats the.
Yes, its the very same book that andrew lloyd webber would adapt into the musical theatre atrocity, cats. Eliots most popular books, in its original dust jacket designed and drawn by eliot. Ezra weston loomis pound 30 october 1885 1 november 1972 was an expatriate american poet and critic, a major figure in the early modernist poetry movement, and a fascist sympathizer. Ezra weston loomis pound october 30, 1885 november 1, 1972 was an american expatriate, poet, musician and critic who, along with t. Old possums book of practical cats cats musical wiki fandom. Get cozy and expand your home library with a large online selection of books at. Lawrences lady chatterleys lover a book that had been banned in britain and the u. Eliot old possum, and it must be said that eliots nose was his most prominent feature. Its ironic, then, that the worlds most famous possum, walt kellys pogo, didnt look all that much like one, though he possessed many of the creatures more noble attributes, including a certain equanimity, humility, and. Okay, we had to include something from eliots ailurophilic 1939 work old possum s book of practical cats the inspiration for andrew lloydwebbers musical, cats. Vincent millay, richard eberhart, marianne moore, stephen spender. Old possums book of practical cats can safely be classed as perhaps his lightest piece of work. Eliot was one of the defining figures of twentiethcentury poetry.
Voices of poetry, volume 2 audiobook by ezra pound, wb. Octavo, original yellow cloth, uncut, original dust jacket. Written by ezra pound, wb yeats, robert graves, edna st. If ts eliots first names had been the other way round, he would have been st eliot, which is. Eliot,26 september 1888 4 january 1965 is recognised as one of the significant twentieth century poets, playwright and essayists. Ezra pound, the enigmatic and controversial figure who arguably did more to change the face of angloamerican poetry in the twentieth century with the possible exception of t.
While its primary purpose has been to increase knowledge and appreciation of any matters of historic, artistic, architectural, literary, musical or theatrical interest, mrs eliot concentrated on literary, educational and theatrical endeavours, as do the present trustees. His critical writings include literary essays of ezra pound 1954, instigations 1920, and guide to kulchur 1938. Beach was also the first to publish james joyces ulysses. Best poetry books score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book.
Though this seems surprising given the seriousness of the rest of eliots output, the waste land 1922, for example, contains passages of nursery rhyme and popular song. Eliot were penpals and sometimes wrote letters in the style of uncle remus stories, mimicking the stereotype of an. Old possum s book of practical cats harvest book by t. Possum was the affectionate nickname given to eliot by ezra pound, a fellow expatriate american poet whom he met in london. Score a book s total score is based on multiple factors, including the number of people who have voted for it and how highly those voters ranked the book. Eliot, was a major figure of the modernist movement in early 20th century poetry. Eliot, including old possum s book of practical cats, and the waste land and other poems, and more on. A search query can be a title of the book, a name of. Books by ezra pound author of selected poems of ezra pound. Vincent millay, richard eberhart, philip levine, marianne moore, audiobook narrated by ezra pound, wb yeats, robert graves, edna st. It was fellow poet ezra pound who first gave the nickname old possum to eliot. Eliots classic old possums poetry collection, starring. The spirit of romance 1910 is a revision of his studies of littleknown romance writers.