Rupert Brooke Books

This is simply a must-read for Brooke fans and anyone else interested in the aesthetists and their times. It's absolutely fascinating. By the time you finish the introduction, you will be hooked.

This is quite an achievement in editing. Brooke and Strachey comment on so many of the prominent figures of their time that, coupled with Hale's impressive footnotes and other editorial material, the book serves as a virtual history of Edwardian England. I personally am not crazy about Brooke's poetry, but I thoroughly enjoyed reading this work.

Much is being made about what this book reveals about Brooke's sexuality, but the main reason for reading it is that it is simply very interesting and educational. One learns so much one never knew about so many of the major literary and political figures in Georgian England. Hale's impressive footnotes are as enjoyable as the letters themselves.

Brooke's heart-stopping good looks are the essence of this epistolatory account of the romantic friendship between James Strachey and England's eternal Golden boy. He who penned the heroically mawkish yet strangely thrilling:'If I should die/ Think only this of me/That there is some corner of a foreign field/ That is forever England' is here revealed through Strachey's eyes in the guise of romantic muse, love object, sex god. Unfortunately for Strachey, his passion was unrequited.

Strachey is be-dazzled by Brooke during their first year at Cambridge, and the subsequent correspondence betrays all the hallmarks of adolescent infatuation: in turns importunate, with Strachey's 'declaration' early in 1906; adulatory:'You were so beautiful tonight';desperate: 'I suppose you know what's wrong with me...I'm in love with you'; ever hopeful: 'Why not come quietly to bed with me instead?' in response to Brooke's request for contraceptive information; finally hopeless: 'The sudden sight of him across a room made my heart...bound ... it's no use...' But it is with a start that one realises that this is no adolescent, but rather a scion of the Stracheys - long time members of the intelligentsia, darlings of the Bloomsbury set - assistant editor of 'the Spectator', putative translator of Freud.

And herein lies the fascination. Keith Hale's painstakingly edited and annotated edition of the correspondence vividly presents Strachey's personal drama of unstinting adulation of the man seemingly pursued by a host of admirers of both sexes, but also features most of England's literati and glitterati in supporting roles. Here are Vanessa and Clive Bell, Virginia Woolf, Maynard Keynes, society hostess Lady Ottoline Morrell, together with representatives of an older order - Thomas Hardy, not to mention Henry James who, for goodness sake, Brooke cycles off to call on at Lamb House as casually as if he were the man next door! And interspersed with these semi-mythical figures are the domestic details that form an integral part of Brooke and Strachey's lives. The trivia is engrossing, with its train timetables, motorbuses and postal orders: 'I'll enclose the tickets and a postal order for 10/6.'

But we never stray far from the central motif - that of Strachey's heart-sickness for Brooke. Coupled with our fascination, though, is also the uncomfortably voyeuristic sensation of being privy to Strachey's intimate yearnings and his longing makes for painful reading: 'It is You and my love that makes the universe magical....' and one finds oneself wishing that Brooke could have been kinder.

Hence it is with a start that one reads Brooke's own account of his seduction of a former university acquaintance. One wonders what the besotted Strachey could have made of his graphic and lengthy account of the physical details of his night in bed with Denham Russell-Smith. Brooke's literary executor Geoffrey Keynes vowed that the uncensored Brooke letters would be published 'over my dead body.' And such has certainly been the case as it is only since Keynes' death that the letters have been released.

Brooke's image makers certainly knew how to 'spin', and it is really only now, nearly 90 years later, that we have a clearer view of Brooke the man as opposed to the legend. Perhaps Strachey's words on Brooke , many years following his death, are the most revealing: 'He was not nearly as nice as people now believe him, but a great deal cleverer.'

This is probably the closest thing to a Brooke autobiography that the world will ever see. Because of Hale's useful editorial material and his thorough annotations, the letters provide as complete a story of Brooke as most of his biographies. And because Brooke shows sides of himself to Strachey that have been hitherto suppressed by his executors, the book provides a more complex, personal view of Brooke than do his previously published letters or his travel journals. Of particular interest are his graphic description of seducing the younger brother of one of his friends; Strachey's account of a sexual rendezvous involving Duncan Grant, John Maynard Keynes, and a Cockney youth; the account of Strachey being pursued by the famous mountain climber, George Mallory; and Brooke's insane, vulgar, and disturbing ramblings following his nervous collapse in 1912. It's quite an interesting read, really.

I first picked up this book in my local library when I was in high school at the tail-end of the 1980s. It totally changed my life. I knew I was a poet/writer from an early age, but reading Rupert Brooke's work really inspired me to dig deeper within myself and be a better writer. With the exception of Dylan Thomas and William Blake, Brooke was the one writer I admired above all others. I have carried this book around with me for the past13 years, and whenever I need inspiration I read his poems. Although I don't find all of them to my taste, there are some that stand out above all others, most notably "The Call", "The Voice", "Success" and "Ambarvalia" - some of these are incredible mystic poems that inspired a lot of my simliar work. I would advise anyone interested in the war era poets, or just darn good poetry, to look this one up. It's awesome.

This book changed my life. Brooke is one of the most gifted writers I have ever read, not to mention my favorite. You will be hard pressed to find anything closer to eloquent, raw emotion on paper. "Love," "Jealousy," and "Success" are particularly notable.

I happened upon the poetry of Rupert Brooke in an old old (truly ancient) used bookstore in a serene corner of Vancouver Island... something about this aged, sepia-colored, hardcover beauty of a book made me feel it had been abandoned by someone else and left there especially for me to find. The rest of the day I was on the beach with it, and each new page further convinced me that I had stumbled upon greatness. Each phrase carried a thoughtful hush along with it, and I felt that to breathe was an interruption. Time and time again I have been brought back to the poetry of Brooke, and this collection has become one of my treasures. Someone abandoned it for me to find, and yet it has become something I would run back into a burning house to retrieve.

These are brief poems about love and longing, doubts, serenity, nature and goodness, frivolity, victory and jealousy, and stirring wartime sonnets that express a noble idealism in the face of death. These latter are grouped under the author's title of "1914" and are his most well-known series, perhaps not only because of their perfection, but also because of their prophetic nature. Brooke lived a brief but eventful life (1887-1915). With the outbreak of World War I he was commissioned in England's Royal Navy, and took part in a disastrous expedition at Antwerp which ended in retreat. At the age of 27, he died from blood-poisoning on board a French hospital ship off the coast of Skyros, Greece. He was buried at night, by torchlight, in an olive grove about a mile inland. Reportedly, if you go there you will find a little wooden cross with just his name and the date of his birth and his death marked on it in black. The fifth poem (entitled The Soldier) in Brooke's sonnet sequence begins... "If I should die, think only this of me: That there's some corner of a foreign field that is for ever England."

Some of the most beautiful & heart felt love letters. The letters do become sad & painful as you go along. There are some superb examples of true passion in this book(provided you can find one!!!). The only copy that I had gone thru is now missing from the local library:(

I have always found Rupert Brooke to be a fascinating poet, so when I was in York and discovered this little treasure (for sale, no less) I bought it. I'd started it a couple of times but never got around to completing the book. Then, I resolutely decided to read it, and I found it completely entrancing. You get something from this book about Brooke that you could never get from a biography: his yearning, passion, anger.... all in his very own words. It was hard for me to put down, and any fan of Brooke's should most definitely look into it.

This book is fantastic and gives a good look into Rupert's relationship with Noel. The incite into Rupert's love life and his feeling for Noel and his friends is worth getting the book alone.

Lately I have been studying a lot of different poets and I have to say that I am rather impresses with his writings. This is a definite one to add to your collection.

This is a great book with some of the best poetry ever written. Great for anyone that wants to get into Rupert's work.

Although "Letters From America" was actually a series of articles that represents the only time in Rupert Brooke's life when he had a paying job,they work well as a book. Written at a juncture in the poet's life when he suffered from considerable emotional strain in his personal relationships, "Letters" is his record of the world beyond England. It is perceptive, elegant writing. Very personal, very interesting (not only for its picture of North America in the early part of this century, but also for its picture of Brooke, with all of his foibles and prejudices).Had he lived through WWI, Rupert Brooke could have been an outstanding prose writer, as "Letters" suggests. Unfortunately, it was not to be.

wish this WAS a review......i can't get hold of the book,its presently out of stock...i'm an avid lover of anything to do with rupert brooke..and would love to hear anyones review on the mike read book...to appease me while i wait for it to come back! :)

Rupert Brooke has been dead for 83 years and in his lifetime, only published one (slim) book of poetry. But the man was fascinating, no question about it, and is still the subject of biographies. This latest, by Mike Read, was a delightful surprise, not only in that it exists at all, but also that it brings new facts to light. Read traveled to the places Brooke knew which gives an added perspective to the story. In some cases, we read Brooke's own descriptions and then learn how the places fared over the years. It's a nice touch. Clearly, Read is much impressed and enamoured by Brooke -- more so than some other biographers. Sometimes, this gets in the way. For example, in dealing with Brooke's sexual identity and experiences, the author makes assumptions that are based on hope but not fact. Also, he never mentions any of Brooke's prejudices which feature so largely in his prose (Letters From America, for example) and even some of the poetry. They are glaring omissions. The photographs are very nice, some I don't think I have ever seen except in the Modern Archives at King's College, Cambridge. The most eye-catching one, however, is of a woman Read describes as Brooke's daughter. Not only is this an amazing photo, but it's a pretty amazing fact as well--one based on the most tenuous of circumstantial evidence. To my knowledge, neither the existence of Brooke's "daughter" nor her photo has ever been presented as fact before. I, for one, would like to have seen more of the background evidence, as this is quite an extraordinary suggestion. I enjoyed Forever England and am grateful to Amazon for locating it when other booksellers could not.

Rupert Brooke has been an infatuation of mine for several years. I have searched for information to little avail, running into a mere paragraph here or there on my favorite poet. I can't describe my enjoyment of having an entire book devoted to him! I couldn't put it down, and if anything, Brooke has only grown in my favor. Amazon's service was incredible, and I look forward to more purchases in the future. If you haven't read Brooke or ordered from Amazon, it is my suggestion you do!

A very interesting biography, well researched and providing an insight into a different time. What a fascinating time to have lived before such changes in the World. Mike Read allows us to feel this free spirited lifestyle of Brookes and Read's passion for the subject comes through in this which is more than just a biography but a record of events and changes in the lives of those associated with Brooke. Well researched and highly recommended.

I've read almost every book written by or about Rupert Brooke and this is the best one. There are a lot of poems that aren't in the Collected Poems and can only be found in this book. It's gives the most complete look into his life as more things about him become available over the years.

I had high hopes for this one as a travel journal of a young person seeing America for the first time sounded interesting. There were some interesting observations Brookes made, such as determining that New York was a "real city" after seeing trash and dead cats and dogs in the river lol. But for the most part, for me the book never really got above being mildly cute and entertaining. While Brooke does write more maturely as a young twenty something in the early 1900s than most would today, his overexcitement over his mostly mundane topics is distracting. Another disappointment was the Henry James intro. Much as I like Henry James, I felt like I read 1/2 the book just trying to get through that intro. Go ahead and glance at this one if you're not particular about what to read or if nothing else is around. Otherwise, there are much more rewarding books out there.

That's an interesting combination of poets, considering how very different they were. Brooke was this handsome patriotic playboy and all his war-related poems are about the nobility of dying for your country, etc. He never actually fought. Owen was actually an officer in World War I and saw the worst of trench life, and many of his poems attempt (and succeed, in my opinion) in splashing mud all over Brooke's romanticized image of war and country. Brooke's poetry is very pretty, tidy, contained but Owen actually verges on being profound. Some of his work you just can't get out of your head. Anyway, get a book of Owen (The Poems of Wilfred Owen by Jon Stallworthy is the most complete compilation that I know of, but that basically means there's the bad stuff in there as well as the good ;) and skip Brooke.