Symons, Julian (1912–1994)

A Reflection On Auden [Signed Broadside — Poem Of The Month Club, Literary Memorial] [Signed by Julian Symons]

London: The Poem of the Month Club, 1973. First one thousand copies were signed by the poet. Signed Broadside.
A POET’S REFLECTION ON LITERARY INHERITANCE.
A signed literary broadside by Julian Symons reflecting on W. H. Auden, issued as part of the Poem of the Month Club series. Written shortly before Auden’s death, the poem is not a memorial but a living engagement with a contemporary literary figure — considering influence, inheritance, and the relationship between poets of different generations.

Symons approaches Auden not through conventional praise, but through intellectual reflection. The poem captures the complex relationship between admiration and critical distance that characterized Symons’ own literary voice.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS: Single-sheet literary broadside printed on cream-colored watermarked handmade paper. Measures approximately 11 by 15 inches. Mattted in Black measuring 16 by 20 inches. The poem is signed in pencil by Julian Symons at the lower right. Issued as part of the Poem of the Month Club series, with the first one thousand copies signed by the poet.

CONDITION: Fine. The broadside is clean and well preserved. The paper remains fresh with even toning. Printing is crisp and fully legible. Minor bumping is present along the top edge [unseen with the matte]. The pencil signature is clear and unfaded.

HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE — POETIC INHERITANCE AND LITERARY MEMORY
AUDEN THROUGH THE EYES OF A CONTEMPORARY.
This broadside captures a moment of literary transition: Julian Symons reflecting on W. H. Auden while both poets still belonged to the same living literary tradition. Rather than a conventional tribute, the poem considers influence, artistic inheritance, and the complicated relationship between generations of writers.

The Poem of the Month Club, active from 1970 to 1977, created a distinctive format for presenting contemporary poetry directly to subscribers, often emphasizing authorial presence through signed editions. This broadside represents that late twentieth-century effort to preserve the connection between poet, poem, and reader.

SUBJECTS: Julian Symons, W. H. Auden, British Poetry,  Signed Broadsides, Literary Reflection, Authorial Influence, Modern British Literature, Poetry, Literary Ephemera, Modern Poetry, Small Press Publications.

Item #22380

Price: $125.00