Paul Mariani has spent fifty years writing poetry that celebrates the vibrant sacramentality of life in the twilight of Modernity, and writing the lives of some of our greatest modern poets. This is a life-spanning collection of his prose explorations of what it means to be a person of wonder and imagination.
First full publication of translation and commentary by famed American modernist
Making the Best of Things chronicles Len Williams' experiences over more than thirty years, beginning with a vivid memoir of his childhood in Camberwell during the 1910s and early 1920s. It culminates in a personal account of his service in the Second World War with the Auxiliary Fire Service and an RAF Maintenance Unit in Yorkshire and other parts of England. The central chapters detail the shifting fortunes of the Williams family during the 1920s and 1930s, providing an evocative perspective on the Depression era through the eyes of a shopworker facing limited prospects. Williams candidly recounts his family's history, particularly an extraordinary secret revealed after his father's death. The narrative expands to create a rich panorama of Camberwell, focusing on familiar places like Stobart Mansions, Kimpton Mission, and the local branch of the Royal Arsenal Cooperative Society. This work meticulously recreates a lost world, offering masterful descriptions of everyday life and firsthand accounts of significant events in London's history, including Zeppelin raids, Armistice Night, the General Strike, and the Blitz.