John Betjeman
Publisher: Northcote House Publishers Ltd
Sir John Betjeman remains the most popular English poet of today. He has been termed a 'national teddy bear', and some commentary has addressed his work in rather such terms. However, it is evident that most of his key themes - the spirit of place (or 'place-myth'), mundane lives ('petit recits'), or historical continuity ('presence of the past') - have specific relevance to postmodern and, especially, environmental concerns. Dennis Brown's book assesses Betjeman's contribution in the light of this, emphasi