Poetry & Prose

John Betjeman

On the south bank of the Thames protected from the weather by Waterloo Bridge, there’s a second hand book shop and however hard I try, I can never walk past without browsing.  When I find a bargain I snatch it from the table and pay the man.  I have no idea where the books come from and I don’t really care either. Anyway, when I found a copy of John Betjeman’s best of, I couldn’t resist, especially since it was just over three quid. It was a pleasure doing business for something so enjoyable.

John Betjeman was actually born John Betjemann in 1906. His surname was changed during World War I to sound less German. The family lived at Parliament Hill Mansions in Highgate North London. In 1909 they moved to a more opulent part of Highgate.

Statue of John Betjeman at St Pancras International

Betjeman was educated at Byron House and Highgate School where he was taught by none other than the poet T S Eliot.  He then went on to board at the Dragon School preparatory school in Oxford.  After failing the maths section of the entry exam, Betjeman struggled to get into university, but was accepted as a non-scholarship student.  While at Magdalen College, he was tutored by a young C S Lewis so at this stage of his education, Betjeman had been introduced to two literary greats.

After university, Betjeman worked for a brief period of time as a private secretary, school teacher and film critic. He was employed by the Architectural Review as assistant editor from 1930-1935 and this employer was said to be his true university. During this period, he married Penelope Chetwode and their first child was born in 1937.

If you’ve read any of his work, you’ll understand why I was excited about the book.  Betjeman’s subjects are places and the everyday.  I wouldn’t say the wording is simple, but there is a touch of comedy and it really is easy to understand.  There isn’t a great deal of abstract in his work and his humour only adds to the honesty. If you've never been aquainted, there’s still time.

John Betjeman passed away in 1984 and is buried in the churchyard at St Enodoc’s church in Cornwall. I wish I had known him.  I think he would have been interesting to talk to and the kind of man that people are just drawn to. His style is formidable and charismatic – I love it.  Oh and after sprouting about how much I like the late John Betjeman, might I add that Once upon a time in London, a Poet Laureate pushed aside the pretentious and gave the world an offering of enjoyable modernism that really is second to none.