Forever England: The Life of Rupert Brooke [Hardcover]

Mike Read (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 1998

For many, Rupert Brooke is the embodiment of a generation that was all but wiped out between 1914 and 1918. His fame was largely brought about by the words of one of his sonnets, "If I should die, think only this of me/There is some corner of a foreign field that is forever England". This thought was a focal point for his generation. Brooke died in 1915, on his way to fight in Gallipoli. In this book the author explores Brooke's life from his days at Rugby, to his time in North America and the South Seas. The inspiration and influences behind many of his poems are explored through the examination of his circle of friends, politics, love life, and his nervous breakdown.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

"I am twenty-six years old [today]," Brooke wrote to a girlfriend, "And I've done so little." It was August 3, 1913, a year and a day before England would enter WWI. A young Apollo to his generation, Brooke would have only one more birthday, dying of septicemia en route to Gallipoli. His Byronic personality and looks, and his early death, gave his thin literary achievement a sentimental appeal that overshadowed that of more substantial wartime poets. Read's 22nd book (he is also an English broadcaster and composer) cannot replace Christopher Hassell's 1964 life, the standard work before it went out of print. Read exposes a brief Tahitian romance that resulted in an unacknowledged child, but otherwise this biography is inadequately researched, repetitious and padded with local history and irrelevant asides. Its wooden prose includes such sentences as this: "He eventually would live there, but that was in the future." Seventy-one of Brooke's poems appear, mostly in full; among them is the famous "The Solider," which prophesies his burial in "some corner of a foreign field"Ait would be the Greek island of SkyrosAthat would become "forever England." Illustrations.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

Brooke died of septicemia at the age of 28 during World War I but is still remembered as one of England's "war poets," a writer recognized for his physical attractiveness as well as his talent. This biography allows Brooke to speak for himself through the inclusion of poems and other writings. The work also provides a well-rounded picture of prewar England, providing detailed background to various persons and places alluded to in the texts. Noteworthy is evidence that Brooke had a daughter by a Tahitian woman with whom he fell in love during his travels. The final chapter, on reactions to the poet's death, suggests adulation similar to that expressed for Princess Diana, another beautiful, promising Briton who died prematurely. Read, the author of 22 books and a musician, songwriter, creator of stage musicals, and British radio personality, has written a musical about Brooke as well as a film version of Forever England. His new work is recommended for both public and academic libraries.ADenise J. Stankovics, Rockville P.L., CT
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Trafalgar Square Publishing (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1851589953
• ISBN-13: 978-1851589951
• Product Dimensions: 9.5 x 6.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,684,915 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book, March 22, 2000

By 

Catrina Bunch (Southgate, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever England: The Life of Rupert Brooke (Hardcover)

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.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Another time, another place..., October 9, 1998

By 

dianne w ([e-mail]) (Australia (downunder)) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Forever England: The Life of Rupert Brooke (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars For a minor poet, Rupert Brooke still fascinates., March 13, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: Forever England: The Life of Rupert Brooke (Hardcover)

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.