The Complete Works of W.H. Auden: Prose, Vol. VI, 1969–1973

As this sumptuous miscellany shows, Auden (1907–1973) was, in the final years of his life, a prolific writer of essays, book reviews, introductions, and forewords. Nearly half of the volume is taken up by “A Certain World,” a commonplace book that Auden calls “a map of my planet.” Ordered alphabetically by theme, from “Accidie” to “Writing,” “A Certain World” is both a testament to its author’s far-flung interests and valuable source of touchstones for the essays and book reviews that follow it. Auden was remarkably well-read and as comfortable writing about contemporaries (Ashberry and Isherwood) as classics (Pope and Dryden). His writings on others sometimes serve as platforms for his own critical theories—in a foreword to Joseph Brodsky’s Selected Poems, he observes that “what the poet says has never been said before, but, once he has said it, his readers recognize its validity for themselves”—but he is always generous to his subjects, as when stating that, were Orwell still alive to comment on contemporary events, Auden is “certain that he would be worth listening to.” Auden’s erudition is never off-putting and his enthusiasms will surely inspire readers to seek out the writers about whom he writes. (June)