On May 7th we met at Helen’s to discuss the work of John Betjeman which was led by Elaine. We were joined by Fransis for this session as he is an admirer of the poet’s work.

We got straight into the matter in hand  by Elaine’s excellent introduction and survey of the poet’s life. She first came across him in her early teens and it must have felt personal too:

“with a thousand tas and pardons daintily alights Elaine” and
“Fair Elaine the Bobby Soxer
Fresh complexioned with Innoxa.”
However, it took another 60 years, she told us, before she revisited his work. He was born in 1906, was made Poet Laureate in 1972 and held the post until his death in 1984. Elaine informed us that as one of the most popular poets of the twentieth century Betjeman wrote the kind of verse that is considered to be accessible, witty and often nostalgic and that his style is characterised by clear diction and a keen eye for detail. He stuck, she said, to rhyme and metre which bucked the trend of his contemporaries.

Betjeman was bullied at his schools being of a sensitive nature and showed no interest in any sport or games and at the last two places because his ‘so called' friends said his surname suggested that he was German spy. At Highgate Junior he was taught English by T.S.Eliot whom he liked and respected. As Elaine pointed out to us there is no evidence of Eliot’s style in Betjeman’s work. While at Malborough and Oxford he displayed a degree of acting success which helped later in his TV appearances. At Oxford his tutor was C.S. Lewis and his contemporaries were W.H. Auden and Evelyn Waugh.

His father ran a very successful business employing excellent craftsmen and was highly regarded by them. He wanted very much for his son to follow in his footsteps and then take over the running of the firm but John was only interested in the world of writing, in church architecture and the devastation of the built environment. He felt that he was a great disappointment to his father.

Elaine chose to illustrate his life and poetry with two poems ‘Inexpensive Progress’ and ‘Trebetherick’ and with a synopsis of Betjeman’s autobiographical ‘Summoned by Bells’.

Suzanne then read two pieces of prose from ‘Betjeman’s Britain’.

Diana read ‘Shetland’, ‘How to Get on in Society’ and ‘Middlesex’.

Geoff read two extracts from ‘Summoned by Bells’.

Helen read ‘A Subaltern’s Love Song’ and ‘Miss Joan Hunter Dunne’.

The group then took it in turns to read on concerning Thørkil’s plight and the reaction to his disappearance on the return of his deceivers to Garlingsfjord. We left chapter 13 with the seeress prophesying “It means blood, blood drenching the ground like Autumn rain.”

On this point we relaxed to polish of the good food and drink provided by Helen and Elaine. Thank you both heartily.

Our next meeting is on the 7th July at Marie’s where she will be leading our discussion on Sylvia Plath.

gw