Bevis Hillier
John Betjeman was the most read of living poets and, at his death in 1984, was the most loved. This biography, full of amusing detail and delicious anecdotes, wonderfully recreates his extraordinary life. In this volume, Betjeman is at the height of his fame, universally adopted as Teddy Bear to the Nation. By now he is known not just as a poet, but as a television personality too. He is also the essential public face of conservation, fighting - not always with great efficiency or success - to save our heritage. We live with him the triumph of Summoned by Bells, his richly emotional autobiography in verse, but also follow his tribulations as Poet Laureate, despairingly in search of inspiration in the bombastic events of royal and public life. Perhaps least expected of all is the pleasure he found in Banana Blush, the poems he recorded to the music of Jim Parker.
Betjeman: The Bonus Of Laughter