Choice Review
The long-awaited first biography of Louis MacNeice, which takes MacNeice's posthumously published autobiography, The Strings are False (1965), as its "key document," is brilliant, sensitive, and not likely to be superseded. Although MacNeice's dark side, abundantly acknowledged, might have been explored in more depth, Stallworthy nevertheless offers a convincing portrait of a talented and versatile writer and a complex person. The author in effect presents MacNeice as an example of the tragedy of an individualist in the 20th century. Thus, this biography has a powerful dramatic quality, a thrilling universality. Although little case can be made for MacNeice as a great poet, his best poems of "childhood memories" are superb, and his autobiography, prose pieces, scripts, translations, and letters exude writing excellence. MacNeice, the prolific writer, is presented in lavish yet discreetly selected example and detail--enhanced by scores of pictures and selected manuscript photocopy. Each page is dated--a detail that should be standard for biographies. With its excellent bibliography, notes, and index, this is an absolute must for all college and university libraries. W. J. Martz; Ripon College