One of the major poets of the twentieth century, with enormous influence on succeeding generation of poets, Auden's lifetime spanned two world wars and continued into the 1970s. In this accessible guide to Auden's life and work, Stan Smith offers readers the fruits of his extensive knowledge and advance research, informing his study with a wider understanding - not only of the literary, social and cultural climate in which Auden lived and wrote, but also of the literary tradition to which he so richly contributed. Enriched by an awareness of modern critical theoretical approaches, Smith's stimulating text offers the reader familiar with Auden no less than the newcomer to the poet fresh insights into Auden's significant both in his own time and today.