A.E. Housman: Finding a Path to Flourish, by Peter Waine
Before I read this book, I knew very little about A.E. Housman. But I am an avid learner with a passion for literature and a soft spot for poetry, so I suppose that made me Waine's ideal audience! 'Finding a Path to Flourish' is a biography of the poet A.E. Housman, exploring elements of his life, nuances of his character, analysis of his poems and debates about his writing. It even concluded with a selection of some of Housman's best poetry, so that after having acquainted myself with the poet, I could immerse myself in his literary output. I enjoyed it all - the biography and the poetry!
The thing I liked most about this biography was the way it approached Housman's life through themes rather than time. I was expecting a traditional biography that began at the beginning of Housman's life and worked chronologically through to his death, but what I got was far more interesting - and far more appropriate! Waine's chapters focus on themes, like 'Housman as a classicist' and 'Housman on religion and death'. It seems evident that Housman was a character of many facets, such that the Housman some people knew was quite different from the Housman many others perceived, so the thematic approach was quite a nice way of exploring all these nuances.
I also enjoyed the subheadings to each chapter, which were often quotations from Housman's poetry, or things he was known to have said (and sometimes things others said about him). To me, Waine's use of Housman's own words as epithets in this book about Housman's life meant that the whole thing was just suffused with Housman's poetry. It felt authentic, and I thought it was a nice touch of respect to this great writer. Waine's admiration for and love of Housman's writing really came through.
Of course, a huge amount of Housman's poetry was quoted within the body of the chapters too, and this pleased me because I do love a bit of literary criticism. It was especially interesting to see the analysis of the poetry (such as an illuminating chapter about Housman's use of narrators) in juxtaposition with insights from his notebooks and information about his circumstances. Seeing such detailed context before diving into the writing is a fascinating way of reading poetry - it makes one think first and foremost about why the poet wrote the things he did, when he did, in the way he did.
Waine also investigates a fresh interpretation of Housman, using existing evidence and contemporary knowledge to explore the fact that Housman might have been on the autistic spectrum. This chapter was intriguing, drawing together many elements from the preceding chapters in a manner that was both well-argued and beautifully sensitive.
Overall, I found this biography very interesting. It was detailed, thoughtful, and clearly founded on a love of literature. I am now much more familiar with Housman's poetry (it's beautiful), and I even feel as though I've started to get to know the man behind the poems. I can certainly see this book - and the poetry in it - coming in useful in my future study of literature!