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| Ralph Hodgson (1871-1962) was a poet and illustrator whose
most influential and enduring work appeared to great acclaim
just prior to and during the First World War. In the 1920s and
1930s, however, he went to live and work in Japan and later
moved to the United States and, as a consequence, his work was
neglected in Great Britain. It wasn’t until the late 1950s,
with the publishing of his Collected Poems, which included new
and exciting material, that he was ‘rediscovered’
by the literary establishment and the public at large. |
| Though never fashionable, his status amongst poets down the
years has grown. Admired by T.S. Eliot, John Berryman, Stephen
Spender and e.e. cummings, his work continues to draw praise
from contemporary writers. Pulitzer Prizewinning American poet,
Philip Levene, said of Ralph Hodgson’s work that it, “challenges
us to see with more clarity the people and creatures on the
margins of our world” while Martin Seymour-Smith, in his
Guide to Modern World Literature, declared that Hodgson’s
work, “possessed true distinction…” displaying,
“epigrammatic and lyrical power…” |
| Hodgson was certainly drawn to animals, especially birds and
dogs and, at a time of strident materialism, wrote of the threat
posed to nature by mankind’s greed. His work is imbued
with a spiritual passion for the beauty of creation and the
mystery of existence. This new selection brings together, for
the first time in 40 years, some of the most beautiful and powerful
‘hymns to life’ in the English language. |
| John Harding, a freelance writer and teacher living in London,
is Ralph Hodgson’s biographer. |
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