Originally published in 1974, this was the first study by a well-known critic, of the poetry and prose of D. J. Enright, a poet whose work is informed by a deep and attractive humanism. His poetry traces the contours of everyday speech, and has a strongly autobiographical character. It is engagingly spry and amusing but also serious and moving. It expresses the sensibility of a man who has spent much of his career abroad, and this international experience seems to have peculiar relevance to modern life. In addition, the book demonstrates that Enright is one of the most remarkable of recent critics in range, perception and wit.
