''The Double Man'' is a book of poems by

W. H. Auden Wystan Hugh Auden (; 21 February 1907 – 29 September 1973) was a British-American poet. Auden's poetry was noted for its stylistic and technical achievement, its engagement with politics, morals, love, and religion, and its variety in ...

, published in 1941. The title of the UK edition, published later the same year was ''New Year Letter''. ''The Double Man'' begins with a verse "Prologue" ("O season of repetition and return"), followed by a long three-part philosophical poem in octosyllabic couplets, ''New Year Letter'' and an idiosyncratic set of "Notes" to the poem in prose and verse. These are followed by the sonnet sequence "The Quest" and a verse "Epilogue" ("Returning each morning from a timeless world"). The entire book was written in 1940, and indirectly records Auden's return to the

Anglican Communion The Anglican Communion is the third largest Christian communion after the Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox churches. Founded in 1867 in London, the communion has more than 85 million members within the Church of England and other ...

. The book is dedicated to

Elizabeth Mayer Elizabeth Wolff Mayer (1884 – 14 March 1970) was a German-born American translator and editor, closely associated with W. H. Auden, Benjamin Britten, Peter Pears, and other writers and musicians. After emigrating to the United States in the 1940s ...

References

* John Fuller, ''W. H. Auden: A Commentary'' (1999) *

Edward Mendelson __NOTOC__ Edward Mendelson (born March 15, 1946) is a professor of English and Comparative Literature and the Lionel Trilling Professor in the Humanities at Columbia University. He is the literary executor of the Estate of W. H. Auden and the au ...

, ''Later Auden'' (1999)

External links

The W. H. Auden Society
{{DEFAULTSORT:Double Man, The 1941 poetry books Books by W. H. Auden Poetry by W. H. Auden Random House books