Think I would have to be a lot more familiar with Auden's work to appreciate this book.

Disappointing since I'm an Auden fan. Maybe my expectations were out of whack but this turned out to be slow reading for me. ( )

Not remotely a scholarly study of Auden and his poetry (thank goodness) – the author refers readers seeking an academic angle to other works – this is both a personal appreciation (Smith describes various ways Auden's poetry has given him insights and delight) and an exploration of the ways that poetry, more generally, can enrich one's life. Deeply familiar with Auden's work, Smith is not blind to his flaws, but he focuses on the lovely language and images, and on the idea that Auden offers guidance to a “middle path” in life, balancing between the human desires for political engagement/worldly achievement and for private pleasures and spiritual growth – between the active life and the contemplative one.

I picked this up not because I've been a huge fan of Smith's fiction or of Auden's poetry, but because my dad, who is not a religious believer, has found a tremendous lot of spiritual solace in recent years in Smith's books, and I've read a couple out of curiosity. So far I've liked Mma Precious Ramotswe, of the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, best – Isabel Dalhousie (Sunday Philosophy Club series) and Professor Dr von Igelfeld (Portuguese Irregular Verbs) are both pretty obnoxious, at least in their opening books – but I have been impressed by the way Smith portrays a wide range of quirky individuals with real warmth and sympathy. The characters in the books I've read myself and those my dad has described to me are wonderfully diverse in backgrounds and interests – they engage in philosophy, linguistics, music, law, politics, natural science, etc. – suggesting an author who views the world with a friendly, intelligent curiosity. In this little book on Auden, Smith seems to credit the poet with helping him develop this outlook, emphasizing Auden's compassion for those suffering and his appreciation for the love and the loveliness which also fill the world.

I was surprised by the number of “typo” sorts of errors I ran across – the sorts of things that should have been caught by a proof reader, but this is a minor complaint. As I said, I didn't start this as a big Auden fan, but by the time I'd finished I had quite a list of poems Smith had discussed that I now need to read or reread. Recommended! ( )

A delightful, personal view of W.H. Auden's work, simple and honest, and an encouragement to get inspired by the ideas and thoughts Auden investigates. McCall Smith believes Auden can help us better understand life and ourselves, which is something only a true artist can - reveal something we did not know before. ( )

I chose this book off the library shelf on a whim, mostly based on my fondness for the Ladies No. 1 Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith. This served me well as a general introduction to the British poet W. H. Auden and was a short, but interesting, read. The book would perhaps be of more interest to fans of McCall Smith's Isabel Dalhousie series, considering Isabel's considerable interest in Auden. I would recommend this to fans of McCall Smith or those interested in the ability of poetry to wind its way into our hearts and enhance our perceptions of the world we live in. ( )