Product Description

Poet, dramatist, critic and editor, T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) was one of the defining figures of twentieth-century poetry. This edition of The Complete Poems and Plays, published for the first time in paperback, includes all of his verse and work for stage, from Prufrock and Other Observations (1917) to Four Quartets (1943), and includes such literary landmarks as The Waste Land, Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats and Murder in the Cathedral.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #6705 in Books
• Published on: 2004-10-07
• Original language: English
• Binding: Paperback
• 608 pages

Review
"'Each year Eliot's presence reasserts itself at a deeper level, to an audience that is surprised to find itself more chastened, more astonished, more humble.' Ted Hughes"

About the Author
Thomas Stearns Eliot (1888-1965) was born is St Louis, Missouri, USA. He settled in England in 1915 and published his first book of poems in 1917. Eliot received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948.

Customer Reviews

Lose yourself in one of the 20th century's finest voices
The poems of TS Eliot are a spiritual journey from the cynical through the barren to an expected rebirth and the rise of a rich, mature and positive voice. The highlights of the journey are The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock, The Waste Land, Ash Wednesday, Journey of the Magi and Four Quartets. But the scenery by the way-side such as Portrait of a Lady, the Hollow Men, is worth a long visit. Even the minor and unfinished poems have their moments.

As a bonus, this volume contains all of Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats. Eliot is here in off duty mode, having fun and allowing his genius for rhythm and language to seep into our minds without demanding our attention.

The plays get better as they go on. Many people only know Eliot's plays for the perennial school classic Murder in the Cathedral. This is a pity because it is the least typical. The Coctail Party is probably the best. To understand what Eliot was doing, though, you really need to read some of his critical writing on drama and on religion.

This book lacks some very necessary apparatus. Translations of the cryptic Greek and Italian quotations would be helpful. Of course, enormous volumes have been written detailing all the references in the Waste Land, and we are better off not having them in this master copy.

Ultimately, this is the most economical and useful way of acquiring Eliot's published creative works - but remember that Eliot the critic was as great as Eliot the poet, and probably greater than Eliot the playwright. To understand him, read first his critical writings before you go on to what others have written about Eliot.

get this book
This is the only complete works by Eliot and should be in the library of every person interested in Literature. Faber have done an excellent job in compiling this work.

classic Work
I bought this which I have owned previously becaue I had lost my copy .It is a vital classic work of 20th century literature