The objective aesthetic value of the Four Quartets is self-evident. In them, the poet summarises the whole of the human adventure and, with a unique ability to delve into it, demonstrates its purpose in an irrefutable manner. The function of the text is unique in its power, unity and variety, in its multifaceted symbolism, its images, metaphors and allegories.
The first part of the book presents the four quartets (Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages, Little Gidding) in the original and in Greek.
The second part includes an extensive interpretative essay by the translator and a bibliography of T.S. Eliot.
- Pages: 224
- ISBN: 978-960-7721-76-1
- Publication: 2002
- Categories: Books, Foreign Poetry
T.S. Eliot
He was born in St Louis, Missouri, in the USA, in 1888, into a Puritan aristocratic family of distinguished scientists, and was brought up according to the principles of his grandfather, who was a theologian. He studied at Smith Academy in Massachusetts and was awarded a gold medal in Latin by Milton Academy. He studied four languages: Greek, Latin, French and German, as well as medieval history, comparative literature and the history of modern philosophy. He also attended philosophy lectures at Harvard given by B. Russell in 1914, as well as courses in Sanskrit and modern Indian philosophy. A scholar of French literature, he devoted himself to poetry. In 1915, Eliot settled in London, teaching in schools, and was later appointed to Lloyd’s Bank in London, where he worked for eight years.
His poetry is divided into five periods. The first period (1909–1919) includes the poems: ‘The Love Song of Alfred Prufrock’, ‘Portrait of a Lady’, ‘Preludes’, and others. The second period (1920–1925) includes the poems: ‘Gerontion’, ‘Hippopotamus’, ‘The Waste Land’, etc. The third period includes “The Empty Men”, whilst the fourth period (1927–1934) comprises the poems: “The Journey of the Magi”, “A Song for Simeon”, “Animula”, “Rock”, etc. The fifth period (1935–1942) includes the “Four Quartets”. His plays are “Murder in the Cathedral”, “Sweeny Agonistes”, “Cocktail Party” and others. As a journalist and critic, he produced notable works. From 1922, when he was editor of the magazine ‘Kritirion’, his aim was to create a platform for new trends in literature and criticism. His essays and studies include: "Tradition and Individual Talent", 1919, "The Use of Poetry and the Use of Criticism", 1933, "Notes on the Definition of Culture", 1948, "Poetry and Drama", 1951, and others. In 1948, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. He died on 4 January 1965.
