Record Number: 21899

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Reading Experience:

Evidence:

'Owen seems to have started reading Swinburne in earnest in 1916. When he returned to the front in 1918, knowing that he would kill and probably be killed, he took volumes of both Shelley and Swinburne with him, but after he had been in action he sent the Shelley back to Shrewsbury, keeping only Swinburne's "Poems and Ballads", the one book of poetry still in his kit at his death'.

Century:

1900-1945

Date:

Between 31 Aug 1918 and 2 Oct 1918

Country:

France

Time

n/a

Place:

other location: on a battlefield

Type of Experience
(Reader):
 

silent aloud unknown
solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

Type of Experience
(Listener):
 

solitary in company unknown
single serial unknown

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Reader / Listener / Reading Group:

Reader:

Wilfred Owen

Age:

Adult (18-100+)

Gender:

Male

Date of Birth:

18 Mar 1893

Socio-Economic Group:

Clerk / tradesman / artisan / smallholder

Occupation:

soldier and poet

Religion:

none

Country of Origin:

England

Country of Experience:

France

Listeners present if any:
e.g family, servants, friends

n/a

Additional Comments:

n/a

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Text Being Read:

Author:

Percy Bysshe Shelley

Title:

[Poems]

Genre:

Poetry

Form of Text:

Print: Book

Publication Details

n/a

Provenance

owned

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Source Information:

Record ID:

21899

Source:

Print

Author:

Dominic Hibberd

Editor:

n/a

Title:

Owen the Poet

Place of Publication:

Basingstoke

Date of Publication:

1986

Vol:

n/a

Page:

56

Additional Comments:

n/a

Citation:

Dominic Hibberd, Owen the Poet, (Basingstoke, 1986), p. 56, http://www.open.ac.uk/Arts/reading/UK/record_details.php?id=21899, accessed: 13 May 2025

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Additional Comments:

None