Magazine content is available exclusively for TIME subscribers.Books: Poetry in English: 1945-62
"What is poetry? Why, sir," roared Dr. Johnson to his ever-attentive Boswell, "we all know what light is, but it is not easy to tell what it is . . . It is much easier to say what it is not."
Poetry is not, unfortunately, what most poets are writing in English today. In the last 20 years, the English-speaking world has produced no major poet and scarcely a score of those minor bards who assiduously tune the lyre of language till another great man is ready to take it up. But if quality is...
To read the entire article, you must be a TIME subscriber. Already registered? Sign in below
Current print subscribers to register
Subscribe now to get TIME All Access
Email, Password or Region is incorrect
A required form parameter was missing.
The System is currently down. Please try again in a few minutes.
Email Address is invalid
Password is blank
Most Popular »
- JC Penney and Ellen, Lowe's and All-American Muslim: A Tale of Two Bigotries
- Four Ways the U.S. Could End Up at War with Iran Before the Election*
- The Art of Nazi Hunting: How Israel's Mossad Found Adolf Eichmann
- Study: Zapping the Brain Boosts Memory
- College Endowments: Why Even Harvard Isn't As Rich As You Think
- Bradying: The Poor Man's Tebowing
- Pentagon Rules 'Shift' on Women in Combat
- Twimmolation Alert: Roland Martin Gets His Ascot in Hot Water at CNN
- House Pulls the Plug. Too Soon or Too Late?
- Why We Need a New Definition of 'PC'
- The Upside Of Being An Introvert (And Why Extroverts Are Overrated)
- The Brain: How The Brain Rewires Itself
- Egypt's NGO Crisis: How Will U.S. Aid Play in the Controversy?
- Friends With Benefits
- Why Is Your Boss Moving to Brazil?
- New York City: 10 Things to Do
- Seoul Searching
- Pentagon Rules 'Shift' on Women in Combat
- Haiti Papers Over the Past: The Rebranding of 'Baby Doc' Duvalier
- In Singapore, Finding Peace Among the Pain of Thaipusam
More News from Our Partners
Top Stories on TIME.com
Quotes of the Day »
DAVID CAMERON, British Prime Minister, on England's soccer manager, Fabio Capello, who resigned after challenging the FA's decision to strip John Terry of the captaincy; Terry denies a charge of racially abusing QPR's Anton Ferdinand
