Speaking Volumes: Celebrating the works of T.S. Eliot in honor of his 130th birthday
September marks what would have been T.S. Eliot’s 130th birthday.
Widely considered the greatest poet of the 20th century, Eliot was born in St. Louis and educated at Harvard. He eventually moved to England by the age of 30, and subsequently became a British citizen.
He won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1948 in recognition of his contributions to poetry. He was also a playwright, publisher, essayist, and a literary and social critic.
If you’re interested in reading about or want to try some of his works, look no further than your local library. We have a wide range of materials, from his poetry to plays that he wrote.
Did you know that the classic musical “Cats” is based on one of his novels, “Old Possum’s Book of Practical Cats”? We have a 2000 film of the musical and the novel itself.
Another novel written for children, “Mr. Mistoffeles, with Mungojerrie and Rumpelteazer,” is a witty collection of cat-themed poetry.
We also have several anthologies of his more mainstream poetry, “Eliot: Verses and Prose,” and “Four Quartets,” which were the last major verse written by Eliot before his death in 1965.
“The Waste Land, Prufrock, and and Other Poems,” is another excellent collection of his poetry.
“The Waste Land” is poem in which Eliot expressed his personal despair regarding World War I.
“The Complete Poems and Plays, 1909-1950” is just as the title suggests, an anthology of his poems and plays, which include “Murder in the Cathedral.”
First performed in 1935, this is a play concerning the assassination of Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury at the hands of a group of Henry II of England’s knights in 1170. Becket was stabbed to death on the altar steps in Canterbury Cathedral, which shocked Europe.
Becket became a martyr and was canonized by Pope Alexander III shortly after.
If you want to delve into Eliot’s life or read analysis of his works, “Harold Bloom’s T.S. Eliot” is a good primer on the poet/playwright and his work.
Additionally, you can also find his works in more general anthologies, such as “The Oxford Book of American Poetry,” and “The Best American Essays of the Century.”
“The Spoken Arts Treasury: Volume I, Modern American Poets Reading Their Poems,” features Eliot and other great poets such as Dorothy Parker and Robert Frost reading their own works in this 6-audio disc set.
Another item that might be of interest is the film “Tom and Viv,” a 1994 film starring Willem Defoe and Miranda Richardson, based on a 1984 play written by Brian Gilbert about the stormy relationship between Eliot and his first wife Vivienne.
Vivienne suffered from psychological problems and was eventually institutionalized. Eliot later remarried, but had no children from either marriage. This film is contained in a collection titled “British Cinema Collection: 8 Acclaimed Films.”
David Breakfield is a reference librarian at the Downtown Central Library. Speaking Volumes, written by Manatee County Public Library System staff members, is published each Sunday in the Bradenton Herald. You can access the library at mymanatee.org/library.