W. H. Auden

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All quotes on this page are either simple, or have been translated into simple English.All quotes on this page are either simple, or have been translated into simple English.
W.H. Auden (right) with Christopher Isherwood in 1939.

Wystan Hugh Auden (February 21, 1907 – September 29, 1973) was an Anglo-American poet[1][2] who wrote several famous poems.

Sourced quotes

  • "No opera plot can be sensible, for people do not sing when they are feeling sensible."[3]
Simple: An opera plot cannot be sensible because people do not sing when they feel sensible.
  • "All pity is self-pity."[4]
Simple: When people feel pity, they always feel pity for themselves.

References

  1. ↑ Auden, W. H.; ed. by Edward Mendelson (2002). Prose, Volume II: 1939-1948. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 478. ISBN 0-691-08935-3.  Auden used the phrase "Anglo-American Poets" in 1943, implicitly referring to himself and T. S. Eliot.
  2. ↑ The first definition of "Anglo-American" in the OED (2008 revision) is: "Of, belonging to, or involving both England (or Britain) and America." "Oxford English Dictionary (access by subscription)". Retrieved on 2009-05-25 See also the definition "English in origin or birth, American by settlement or citizenship" in (1983) Chambers 20th Century Dictionary, 45.  See also the definition "an American, especially a citizen of the United States, of English origin or descent" in (1961) Merriam Webster's New International Dictionary, Second Edition, 103.  See also the definition "a native or descendant of a native of England who has settled in or become a citizen of America, esp. of the United States" from The Random House Dictionary, 2009, available online at "Dictionary.com". Retrieved on 2009-05-25
  3. ↑ "Notes on Music and Opera" (p.472)
  4. ↑ "Interlude: West's Disease" (p. 243)

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