I’m linking here to a terrific documentary produced by BBC Four to celebrate the centenary of W. H. Auden’s birth in 1907.  It’s a superb biopic — thanks to Youtube user Andrey Shulyatyev for uploading this.

One thing that occurred to me as I watched this was the resilience of Auden’s pursuit of love and beauty despite his first-hand witness of the most terrible and ugly things — the violent rise of fascism in Germany, the Second Sino-Japanese War, and the devastation of post-World War II Germany. And this resilience was reflected in his work ethic even until his death in 1973.