简介：WHAudenInANewAgeOfAnxietyexamineswhyAuden'spoetrystillshinesthroughinthe21stcentury. ThirtyyearsafterhisBBCfilmTheAudenLandscape,directorAdamLowreturnstothepoetandhiswork. Followingsurgesofpopularity-fromfeaturinginFourWeddingsAndAFuneraltobeingthepoetNewYorkersturnedtoafter9/11-LowrevealshowAuden'spoetryhelpsustobetterunderstandthe21stcenturyandthetumultuouspoliticalclimateinwhichwenowlive. Whydoesthepoet-whobeganasthegoldenboyofthe1930sandendedupasthecraggy-facedlaureateweneverhad-haveagreaterholdonourimaginationsthaneverbefore?WritersAlanBennett,PollyClark,AlexanderMcCallSmithandRichardCurtisandpoetsJamesFentonandPaulMuldoonsharetheirpassionforAuden,andcelebratethepotent,movingimpactofhiswork. Duringhislifetime,Audenwasoftenanoutsider.AgaymanatatimewhenhomosexualitywasillegalinBritain,hebecameanAmericancitizenfrom1946andhisreputationinBritainsuffereddisastrouslyfromhisdecisiontoleaveEnglandin1939andtostayinAmericathroughouttheSecondWorldWar. However,thepopularityofAuden'sworkhasincreased.Apoetwhocoupledtechnicalskillandemotionalhonestyandwasabletoengagesimultaneouslywiththeeverydayandtheuniversal;perhapsthisisthereasonhehasremainedrelevant. Hisparticularcombinationofhumanityandscepticismseemstoappealmoreandmoretothisgeneration,onesurroundedbypoliticaluncertaintyandassailedbyanxietyaboutthefuture.Thisfilmprobesthepeculiarholdthatthisangryyoungmanofthe1930sstillhasonourindividualpsyches.…