WHAuden's birth centenary next year, why is the BBC doing nothing about it but made a fuss about Betjemen?

Answer 1

I'm guessing it has to do with the fact that Betjeman was poet laureate, and Auden wasn't.

I think it's rather a poor reason, since being poet laureate isn't the best indicator of quality, but I think that's what it is. There's also the fact that Auden buggered off to America and became a US citizen! ;)

It's a shame, whatever the reason.

Answer 2

Kind of agree.
When I was studying this stuff my order of preference from that period was Louis Macneice, WH Auden then Sir John Betjemen.
Read them all for pure pleasure even after I left school.

Of the three Betjemen was the more prolific in popular culture, and he spoke about everyday people and places. Showing my ignorance in not knowing whether any of the three were poet laureate apart from Betjemen. Maybe that's one reason.
Overall if you take the whole of their works, Betjemen was better, although the others had better individual poems.

Auden should get something for his centenary.
If they give Ted Hughes a centenary then Auden should have definitely got one. That Laureate thing again?

Answer 3

Because it's Betjeman is common. Common, uncomplicated and likeable.
It's all got to do with this theory that we're all middle class now, that divisions no longer exist.
What is actually happening is we're all becoming common and thus the BBC is catering for these new down scaled needs.
But what do I know? I grew up in New Zealand!