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| − | Sir '''John Betjeman''' (1906-1984) remains one of [[United Kingdom|Britain's]] best loved and best-selling poets.<ref>His ''Collected Poems'' (1958) has sold over 2.5 million copies. [http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2006/12/24/RVGG4N01RD1.DTL&type=books]</ref> He was appointed '''Poet Laureate''' in 1972 and served until his death in 1984. He was also passionate about [[Queen Victoria|Victorian]] architecture and campaigned against the demolition of several notable buildings. His poetry largely has an eye to British middle-class life, particularly the recent past. He was a lifelong [[Anglican]] and his religion often comes into his poetry in a light-hearted and occasionally jocular manner. He wrote many poems but one about the "Conversion of St. Paul" highlights his attitude:
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| − | <blockquote>''But most of us turn slow to see<br>
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| − | ''The figure hanging on a tree<br>
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| − | ''And stumble on and blindly grope<br>
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| − | ''Upheld by intermittent hope,<br>
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| − | ''God grant before we die, we all<br>
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| − | ''May see the light as did St. Paul. ''</blockquote>
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| − | His mild and affable manner won him many admirers as television personality, bringing his poetry to an audience of millions. He remains perhaps best remembered for his (only half-joking) exhortations for the levelling of Slough, a soulless English town:
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| − | <blockquote>''Come, friendly bombs, and fall on Slough''<br>
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| − | ''It isn't fit for humans now,<br>
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| − | ''There isn't grass to graze a cow<br>
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| − | ''Swarm over, Death!</blockquote>
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| − | He was one of the brains behind the hugely successful ''Shell Guides To Britain'' and was a regular contributor to the satirical magazine ''[[Private Eye]]'' for its architectural column ''Nooks & Crannies''.
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| − | == References ==
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| − | <references/>
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| − | [[Category: Poets]]
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| − | {{DEFAULTSORT: Betjeman, John}}
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