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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 poet remotely like him and this first volume of Bevis Hillier's authoritative biography grants an exceptional insight to the life and times of the nation's best loved poet. ... Read more

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Volume Two covers John Betjeman's life from the age of forty-six, when his popularity as poet, broadcaster, and campaigner against the destruction of fine buildings reached its height. At once serious, sparkling, and humorous, he wrote eloquently and passionately on poetry, religion, architecture, and town planning, and letters to his family recorded his adventures in America.

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Sir John Betjeman (1906-1984), Poet Laureate, was probably the most widely-read English poet of the twentieth century. Because of his frequent appearances on radio and television and his fervent devotion to the preservation of England's architectural heritage, his face and voice became familiar to millions. Few other poets of any century have had such a powerful influence on their contemporaries. This bibliography lists and describes all of his known writings, including his own books, ephemera, contributions to periodicals and to books by others, lectures, and radio and television programs. Other categories such as editorships, music settings, and dramatic adaptations of his poems, recordings, and interviews are also included, as well as a section devoted to writings about him. Manuscripts and drafts of all his works are described in detail. This enormous body of material is thoroughly indexed, cross-referenced, and in most cases annotated. Now at last the activities of this remarkable man--both a poet and a cultural phenomenon--can be seen in their full breadth and complexity. ... Read more

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John Betjeman was undoubtedly the most popular Poet Laureate since Tennyson. But beneath the thoroughly modern window on Britain that he opened during his lifetime lay the influence of his nineteenth-century forbears. This book explores his identity through such Victorianism via the verse of that period, but also its architecture, religious faith and - more importantly - religious doubt. It was, nevertheless, a process which took time.In the 1930s Betjeman's work was tinted with modernism and traditionalism. He found Victorian buildings 'funny' and wrote much in praise of the Bauhaus style, even though his early poetry was peppered with Victorian references. This leaning was incorporated into a greater sense of purpose during World War 2, when he transformed himself from precious humorist into propagandist. The resulting sense of cohesion grew when the dangers of post-war urban redevelopment heightened the need to critique the present via the poetics of the past, a mood which continued up to and beyond his gaining the Laureateship in 1972. This duty proved to be a millstone, so the 'official' poems are thus explored by the author more fully than hitherto.The conclusion of looks back to Betjeman's 1960 verse-autobiography, 'Summoned by Bells', which is seen as the apogee of his achievement and a snapshot of his identity.Included here is the first critical appreciation of the lyrics embodied within the text, which are taken as a map of the young poet's literary growth. Larkin's 1959 question 'What exactly is Betjeman?' then leads to a final appraisal of his originality, as evidenced by his glances towards postmodernism, feminism, and post-colonialism. The fact is that Betjeman never quite fits in anywhere. He is always a square peg in a round hole or a round peg in a square hole - often for the sheer enjoyment of so being. In a sense, his desire to be as non-conformist as a Quaker meeting house makes him a radical, rather than the reactionary that his interests imply. He was a champion of beauty and the British Isles, and clearly did much to make us see the worth of our Victorian forebears. Greg Morse's book highlights this important facet of his work. ... Read more

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Webster's bibliographic and event-based timelines are comprehensive in scope, covering virtually all topics, geographic locations and people. They do so from a linguistic point of view, and in the case of this book, the focus is on "John Betjeman," including when used in literature (e.g. all authors that might have John Betjeman in their name). As such, this book represents the largest compilation of timeline events associated with John Betjeman when it is used in proper noun form. Webster's timelines cover bibliographic citations, patented inventions, as well as non-conventional and alternative meanings which capture ambiguities in usage. These furthermore cover all parts of speech (possessive, institutional usage, geographic usage) and contexts, including pop culture, the arts, social sciences (linguistics, history, geography, economics, sociology, political science), business, computer science, literature, law, medicine, psychology, mathematics, chemistry, physics, biology and other physical sciences. This "data dump" results in a comprehensive set of entries for a bibliographic and/or event-based timeline on the proper name John Betjeman, since editorial decisions to include or exclude events is purely a linguistic process. The resulting entries are used under license or with permission, used under "fair use" conditions, used in agreement with the original authors, or are in the public domain. ... Read more

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John Betjeman, appointed Poet Laureate in 1972, is celebrated as the most remarkable, most widely read and best loved poet of the twentieth century. Bevis Hillier's 'awe-inspiring' and 'enthralling' biography fascinatingly recalls Betjeman's extraordinary character. In this final volume, Betjeman is at the height of his fame, universally adopted as Teddy Bear to the Nation. By now he is known not just as a poet, but as a television personality too. He is also the essential public face of conservation, fighting -- not always with great efficiency or success -- to save our heritage. We live with him the triumph of Summoned by Bells, his richly emotional autobiography in verse, but also follow his tribulations as Poet Laureate, despairingly in search of inspiration in the bombastic events of royal and public life.Perhaps least expected of all is the pleasure he found in Banana Blush, the poems he recorded to the music of Jim Parker. As before, Bevis Hillier reveals the origins of Betjeman's most loved poems; brings to life his loves, hates and enthusiasms; and shows the role that friendship and laughter played in his life. ... Read more