From Surf Wiki (app.surf) — the open knowledge base
Spain (poem)
1937 poem by W. H. Auden
1937 poem by W. H. Auden
Spain is a poem by W. H. Auden written after his visit to the Spanish Civil War. Spain was described by George Orwell as "one of the few decent things that have been written about the Spanish war". It was written and published in 1937. Auden donated all the profits from the sale of Spain to the Spanish Medical Aid Committee.
Auden published two versions of the poem, first as a pamphlet Spain (1937), then, in revised form and titled "Spain 1937", in his book Another Time (1940). He later rejected the poem from his collected editions, regarding it as a "dishonest" poem that expressed political views that he never believed but which he thought would be rhetorically effective.
The poem describes the history that led up to the Spanish Civil War, then the arrival of the International Brigades at the war itself, then foresees a possible future that may result from the war.
Reception and influence
On its publication, Cyril Connolly described Spain as "good medium Auden in a good cause—the Spanish Medical Aid". Connolly criticized the poem's use of Marxist concepts, but ended his review of Spain by saying "the conclusion is very fine." The poem was widely discussed, notably by George Orwell in "Inside the Whale" (1940) and in E. P. Thompson's reply to Orwell, "Outside the Whale" (Out of Apathy, 1960). The scientist Joseph Needham, a great admirer of Auden, took the title of his 1943 book Time: The Refreshing River from Spain.
References
- John Fuller, W. H. Auden: A Commentary (1999).
- Edward Mendelson, Early Auden (1981).
- E. P. Thompson, The Poverty of Theory and Other Essays (1978).
References
- W. H. Auden, ''Spain''. Reprinted in [[Valentine Cunningham]], ''Spanish Front : Writers on the Civil War'' Oxford, [[Oxford University Press]], 1986. {{ISBN. 9780192122582 (pp. 1–4)
- David Garrett Izzo, ''W.H. Auden Encyclopedia''. Jefferson, NC : McFarland & Company, 2011. {{ISBN. 9780786449132 (pp. 245–7)
- Cyril Connolly, "To-Day the Struggle", ''New Statesman'', 5 June 1937. Reprinted in Cunningham, ''Spanish Front : Writers on the Civil War'' (p.325)
This article was imported from Wikipedia and is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Content has been adapted to SurfDoc format. Original contributors can be found on the article history page.
Ask Mako anything about Spain (poem) — get instant answers, deeper analysis, and related topics.
Research with MakoFree with your Surf account
Create a free account to save articles, ask Mako questions, and organize your research.
Sign up freeThis content may have been generated or modified by AI. CloudSurf Software LLC is not responsible for the accuracy, completeness, or reliability of AI-generated content. Always verify important information from primary sources.
Report