About the House
Encyclopedia
About the House is a book of poems by W. H. Auden
, published in 1965 by Random House
(first published in England by Faber & Faber in 1966).
The book is in two unnumbered parts, "Thanksgiving for a Habitat", a sequence of poems about Auden's house in Kirchstetten
, Austria, and a miscellaneous group of poems headed "In and Out". Almost all the poems were written from 1960 through 1964.
The "Thanksgiving for a Habitat" sequence includes fifteen poems in different forms, some followed by a "Postscript" generally in haiku form. The sequence includes, among other poems, "The Cave of Making", "The Geography of the House", "Tonight at Seven-Thirty", "The Cave of Nakedness", and "The Common Life". One poem in the sequence, "Grub First, Then Ethics", was written in 1958 and was published in Auden's previous book Homage to Clio
under the title "On Installing an American Kitchen in Lower Austria".
The poems in the "In and Out" section include "A Change of Air", "You", "Et in Arcadia Ego", "On the Circuit", "After Reading a Child's Guide to Modern Physics", and "Whitsunday in Kirchstetten".
This was the first of Auden's books to include the haiku
form that he continued to use in many poems for the rest of his career.
The book is dedicated to Edmund and Elena Wilson
.
W. H. Auden
Wystan Hugh Auden , who published as W. H. Auden, was an Anglo-American poet,The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England and America." See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in See also...
, published in 1965 by Random House
Random House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
(first published in England by Faber & Faber in 1966).
The book is in two unnumbered parts, "Thanksgiving for a Habitat", a sequence of poems about Auden's house in Kirchstetten
Kirchstetten
Kirchstetten is a town in district of Sankt Pölten-Land in the Austrian state of Lower Austria.It was the home during part of their lives to the Austrian poet Josef Weinheber and the English poet W. H. Auden. Auden is buried in a Kirchstetten churchyard....
, Austria, and a miscellaneous group of poems headed "In and Out". Almost all the poems were written from 1960 through 1964.
The "Thanksgiving for a Habitat" sequence includes fifteen poems in different forms, some followed by a "Postscript" generally in haiku form. The sequence includes, among other poems, "The Cave of Making", "The Geography of the House", "Tonight at Seven-Thirty", "The Cave of Nakedness", and "The Common Life". One poem in the sequence, "Grub First, Then Ethics", was written in 1958 and was published in Auden's previous book Homage to Clio
Homage to Clio
Homage to Clio is a book of poems by W. H. Auden, published in 1960.The book contains Auden's shorter poems written between 1955 and 1959, including a group of poems on historical themes first published as a pamphlet titled The Old Man's Road...
under the title "On Installing an American Kitchen in Lower Austria".
The poems in the "In and Out" section include "A Change of Air", "You", "Et in Arcadia Ego", "On the Circuit", "After Reading a Child's Guide to Modern Physics", and "Whitsunday in Kirchstetten".
This was the first of Auden's books to include the haiku
Haiku
' , plural haiku, is a very short form of Japanese poetry typically characterised by three qualities:* The essence of haiku is "cutting"...
form that he continued to use in many poems for the rest of his career.
The book is dedicated to Edmund and Elena Wilson
Edmund Wilson
Edmund Wilson was an American writer and literary and social critic and noted man of letters.-Early life:Wilson was born in Red Bank, New Jersey. His father, Edmund Wilson, Sr., was a lawyer and served as New Jersey Attorney General. Wilson attended The Hill School, a college preparatory...
.