The Complete Poetry by George Orwell..Dione Venables, cousin of his first poetic muse, Jacintha Buddicom, has had the bright idea of putting together a currently complete collection of George Orwell's poetry. It is a valuable and interesting anthology. Most would agree that compared with Orwell, the essayist, journalist and novelist, Orwell the poet is an unremarkable figure. But, whatever one might think of his verse as literature, from a biographical viewpoint it carries rather more weight and meaning.
Certainly, like his other writings, it reflects movements of his mind over time, and is perhaps better read in that light. However, poems such as 'An Italian Soldier Shook my Hand' and 'A Happy Vicar I Might Have Been' are clear exceptions, and some, such as his amusing jingle about the Burmese woman out-haggling her would-be customer, are highly entertaining. And his early 'love' poems to Jacintha, his Kiplingesque poems from school and Burmese days, and various political poems are also quite revealing. In addition, the book benefits from a running commentary by the editor and an essay by Peter Davison. No Orwell aficionado should be without this collection.
Gordon Bowker
