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A very English poet
I tried very hard to build up some enthusiasm for this collection. Betjeman has long been one of the most loved and popular of English poets. But I found the light verse too light, and the precise description of English landscape uncorrelated with some higher moral and spiritual vision as for instance in Wordsworth.
Not my cup of tea, but this does not mean that it is not agood brew for those who enjoy an intelligent rhyming perceptiveness, a humorous at times wistfully imaginative view of the world.
Because my review is I think gives a poor description of Betjeman's poem I will bring an example , so that the reader of this review will at last have a ' feel' of what the work is.

14 November 1973

Hundreds of birds in the air
And millions of leaves on the pavement,
And Westminster bells ringing on
To palace and people outside-
And for all the words,' I will'
To love's most willing enslavement,
All of our people rejoice
With venturous bridegroom and bride.

Trumpets blare at the entrance,
Multitudes crane and sway
Glow, white lily in London,
You are high in our hearts today! ... Read more

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So well-written and engaging, you won't want it to end!
You know that you've read a great biography when you start "missing" it once you turn over the last page!
Betjeman, England's fasincating and popular poet laureate, has met his match in author A. N. Wilson.
Wilson has never done a better job of drawing us into a particular time and place.His ability to
plumb the complexities of this man, the poetry, and the many and varied relationships sustained throughout
Betjeman's life shines through on every page.Highest recommend! ... Read more

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A monumental work
Bevis Hillier's second volume of his Betjeman biography is a massive, extremely detailed work which will appeal to the same audience that enjoyed the first volume, Young Betjeman.The book follows JB's life and career from the early days of his marriage to Penelope Chetwode in the early thirties to the massive success of his "Collected Poems" in the late fifties.
Don't expect any opinions on Betjeman's poetry, except for excerpts from contemporary reviews.This is a book about his life, not his work.And what a life!At the start of his career, working as a film critic on the Evening Standard, his colleagues included Robert Bruce Lockhart (the celebrated/notorious "British Agent"), Malcolm Muggeridge and Osbert Lancaster, who became his lifelong friend.He was an unabashed social climber starting from his days at Oxford, and managed to charm his way into the very top echelons of British and Irish society.
Bevis Hillier has a clear, neutral and unobtrusive writing style that makes for easy reading.Having said that, this is a non-fiction book and not a "page-turner".It took several weeks of bed time reading and the wealth of detail would be too much to take in over a short period.It would also spoil the enjoyment of the book not to take time to mull over some of the episodes.
There are several hundred notes at the end of the book, almost all of them attributions, but with the occasional anecdote.After using a second bookmark for a little while, I decided to just read the book.Having finished it, I then read through the more interesting notes.Among these was the information that Lady Elizabeth Cavendish (Betjeman's long-time companion), along with Arthur Calder-Marshall (who?), was the only person who refused to provide any help whatsoever with the book.
This book, along with the preceding volume and the third, expected later this year, took twenty-five years to assemble.Many of the interviewees are now deceased.We can be thankful that Bevis Hillier had the tenacity to gather this information, and the skill to put it together with such grace. ... Read more

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Eccentric, sentimental and homespun, John Betjeman's passions were mostly self-taught. He saw his country being devastated by war and progress and he waged a private war to save it. His only weapons were words -- the poetry for which he is best known and, even more influential, the radio talks that first made him a phenomenon. From fervent pleas for provincial preservation to humoresques on eccentric vicars and his own personal demons, Betjeman's talks combined wit, nostalgia and criticism in a way that touched the soul of his listeners from the 1930s to the 1950s. Now collected in book form for the first time, his broadcasts represent one of the most compelling archives of twentieth-century broadcasting, reawakening the modern reader to Betjeman's unique perspective and the compelling magic of the golden age of wireless. ... Read more

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Anostalgic journey back to the golden days of travel and broadcasting
This is a most enjoyable read for anyone interested in John Betjeman or indeed anyone longing back to the times when trains had windows that would open! Stephen Games has skilfully edited
JB's talks broadcasted by the BBC during a period of 40+ years. The range of topics, clearly indicating the diversity of the broadcaster, poet and architectual buff ( self taught), range from the wit of Wordsworth to alament of modernism encroaching on metropolitan and rural life with many interesting talks covered in between. Anyone interest in " how we lived then" should buy this book now.

Michael Roodyn


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The poetic work of John Betjeman is known both for its range and its mastery of form. Released for the first time in paperback, this selection of his poetry has sold more than two million copies and was awarded the Duff Cooper Memorial Prize. ... Read more

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Essential volume of England's greatest 20th century poet
Betjeman is one of the most enduring and endearing of Britain's poets. I have an old volume that regularly comes down from the shelf to both inspire and amuse me. His verse always has something to say, even on fifth, sixth or seventh reading.

There is a down-to-earth quality to Betjeman's poems and the themes he covers. He is realistic about love, faith, life and human beings. Some of his most amusing verses poke fun at characters that one gets the impression might easily be reflections of himself (see Seaside Golf, for example); his ability to laugh at himself certainly adds an air of ease and approachability to his work. Nevertheless, he is also able to deal with thorny subjects without trivializing the difficult questions they provoke, even if he often does so with a rather wicked sense of humour. For me, the most fascinating of his poems deal with God, faith and religion. Betjeman was an Anglican, and he is not shy about his faith, nor about acknowledging its shortcomings. In Westminster Abbey takes the form of a lady's wartime prayer, and is a brilliant and witty expose of religious hypocrisy; On a Portrait of a Deaf Man is a heartfelt psalmic reflection on the problem of God and evil; Senex is a hilarious confession of struggle with sexual temptation.

Elsewhere, Betjeman treats sexuality with a candour that shocks, and firmly dispells any lingering suspicions that he is merely a fat, jovial and reserved old Englishman (see Late-Flowering Lust). At other times, he offers playful reflections on love, lust, romance and courtship, as in A Subaltern's Love Song or The Olympic Girl.

His attempts at blank verse are delightful, and eminently readable, or preferably listenable (English readers will recall the documentaries he made for British television some twenty or thirty years ago, for which he recited many of his poems, including the charming Beside the Seaside, included here). He is at home musing on the things that he loves most: people and places. Many (probably most) of his poems received their inspiration, and take their titles, from places mainly in and around the English coast. He writes of them with an obvious affection.

It seems that Betjeman has not received the attention he deserves on this side of the Atlantic (US/Canada). His books are few and far between in second-hand bookshops, and my review of his collected poems seems to be the first to appear on Amazon. This is regrettable. I am sure that those who take the time to explore Betjeman's world will find they are richly rewarded; his enthusiasm for his subjects, and his gentle and avuncular manner, surely elicit an appeal that goes beyond national boundaries. This comprehensive collection comes highly recommended. ... Read more

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Sir John Betjeman was one of the twentieth century's great makers of the Christian imagination. He was may be the most significant literary figure of our time to declare his Christian faith and his terror of dying. Betjeman used his formidable gifts for poetry to show us how to think about the Anglican faith and about Englishness, and Christianity in general. Here is an anthology of about 75 poems on religious themes, with clarifying footnotes and a critical introduction that offers an overview of his life and poetry, as well as a commentary on some of his more difficult poems. The book is directed at three main audiences: poetry readers unfamiliar with Betjeman and his faith, readers interested in literature from a Christian perspective (C. S. Lewis or George Herbert) and, more narrowly, Christians who may be interested in discovering poetry that explores their faith. Betjeman's poetry has and continues to sell extremely well (Between two and three million copies of his Collected Poems). Here is a new perspective on Betjeman's life and beliefs.This new edition of Betjeman's religious poetry will demonstrate that Betjeman is the great poet of the Church in the twentieth century; it will also introduce delightful, accessible and important poetry to new readers who have not read much of his work. It will suggest to both British and American readers ways of thinking about spiritual, cultural and ecclesiastical matters as well as about the intersection of literature and art. ... Read more

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Excellent book--great poetry and great explication
I'm biased, as I had Dr. Gardner as a professor years ago before he was at Baylor, but I think this is one of the better poetry books I have read in awhile.The explanatory notes are very well done, the poems are organized well, and overall, it's a very strong book.I'm enjoying going through it.

An excellent anthology of Betjeman's religious verse
This book is an excellent introduction to the religious verse of John Betjeman and is presented in a very easy-to-read style. The book introduces each group of poems with background details and light commentary on the poems along with biographical information on the poet which helps to explain the content.

The themes in the anthology include death, spiritual doubts and fears, belief, vanity and hypocrisy in the church and the church in society and include many of his most well-known poems including "Slough" and "Diary of a Church Mouse."

This is an excellent book for those who want to study Betjeman's religious verse or who want to read the thoughts of one whose faith was often tested and unsure but who loved the Church of England as a vital part of England.
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Artfully printed pocket collection of this poet's complete work, including poems gathered from previous rare editions. ... Read more

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John Betjeman was without question the most popular poet of the twentieth century and his poems have been bought and read by millions. He opened eyes to what before him had seemed ordinary but is now unforgettable. There is no other poet remotely like him and this collection of favourites is a perfect reminder of his extraordinary originality and appeal. It is perfect too for those who still have in store the pleasure of discovery. ... Read more

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First published in 1938 under the title An Oxford University Chest, this volume presents a treasure-house of amusing sketches of university life, lyrical tributes to Oxford's pastoral pleasures, and characteristically pungent architectural judgments.Now reissued as John Betjeman's Oxford, it remains a delightfully irreverent and nostalgic look at Oxford and its University in the 1930s, reproduced without revision or embellishment.Betjeman devotes more than a third of the book to an architectural tour of the town and university buildings, enlivening the factual information with anecdotes and accounts of relevant historical events.Moholy-Nagy's remarkable photographs, Osbert Lancaster's line drawings, and etchings of the town's magnificent buildings complement Betjeman's text. ... Read more

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In addition to Sir John's poetry, this selection includes prose that reveals him as architectural critic, social historian, conservationist, short-story writer, railway enthusiast, country lover, humorist, eccentric and Christian. Also included is a version of Metro-Land, a television film for which he wrote the script and narrated. ... Read more

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John Betjeman was a great champion of British heritage and a devotee of the railways. This small, beautiful volume, edited and annotated by Jonathan Glancey, describes all that Betjeman found of value in the landscape and architecture of this country as he cut a nostalgic, personality-filled arc through a long-lost Britain.

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In this series, a contemporary poet selects and introduces a poet of the past. By their choice of poems, and by the personal and critical reactions, they express in their prefaces, the editors offer insights into their own work as well as providing an accessible and passionate introduction to the most important poets in our literature. Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984) was born in Highgate, the son of a manufacturer of Dutch descent. After university, he joined the staff of the "Architectural Review", thereafter working as a journalist and, during the Second World War, for various government departments. His first book of poems was "Mount Zion" (1931), followed by numerous collections, notably "A Few Late Chrysantheumns" (1954). His poetry enjoyed immense popularity, as did his personality, and his knighthood in 1969, and appointment as Poet Laureate in 1972 were almost universally welcomed. ... Read more

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This is a study guide for A level and GCSE students which should also provide good background information for first year undergraduate students. The guide provides literary criticism of the text together with ideas and questions. Each guide is written to help the reader think independently about the text being studied. There is a biography of the author and literary and historical background details to the work are given. In addition there are summaries and glossaries of the text plus commentaries. Study hints are also given to help readers plan work and study effectively. Specimen essays are provided with suggestions for further reading. ... Read more

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The book represent a genuine and important discovery in the canon of Betjeman's poems, often considered closed with the publication of the "Complete Poems". Between 1953-57, John Betjeman read a series of poems on "The Faith in the West" program airing on the BBC's West of England Home Service. This series, called "Poems in the Porch", was so popular that Betjeman received constant requests to publish the poems. Although he deprecatingly referred to the poems as mere 'verses', Betjeman at last capitulated to the public. The result was a slim volume of six poems, entitled Poems in the Porch. What few people now realize is that Betjeman read at least 20 original poems on the radio in this series, perhaps even more, although owing to the haphazard records of both the BBC and Betjeman himself it is impossible to reconstruct with complete accuracy the history of this series. Kevin Gardner has been able to identify and collect 26 of these poems and has written a fascinating introductory essay recounting the story of Betjeman as a radio poet and discussing the artistry of these poems. Most have never been published and currently exist only in manuscript.Despite the gap between the BBC records on the one hand and the printed and manuscript texts on the other, Gardner has been able to construct a relatively reliable edition of "Betjeman's Poems in the Porch". ... Read more