tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607719101484462692.post6670521339069893753..comments2024-01-23T12:27:05.258+00:00Comments on The Stone and the Star: Keith Douglas: "Well, I Am Thinking This May Be My Last Summer..."Clarissa Aykroydhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08571136118573329263noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607719101484462692.post-11114530988804220522014-07-10T07:40:27.765+01:002014-07-10T07:40:27.765+01:00Hi Paula, so nice you stopped by. As much as I hav...Hi Paula, so nice you stopped by. As much as I have a crush on Keith Douglas, I do agree with you. In his letters he is sort of adorable and completely infuriating at the same time. I think he probably drove his girlfriends crazy. But he's just so vivid in them, and in a different way, in his poems. He seems like the kind of guy you'd know and laugh about in high school or university (whether or not you were friends with him!). And he was just young too, which certainly comes across, and makes it all the more sad he didn't live longer. He is also such a contrast, both in poetry and life, to my other World War II poetic favourite Sidney Keyes. Sidney was even younger but he was a really intense serious emo kind of guy... They were both at Oxford but it seems they were either distant acquaintances or possibly didn't know each other personally at all. I don't think they would have been the best of friends...Clarissa Aykroydhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08571136118573329263noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-607719101484462692.post-43529522276167120912014-07-10T01:21:01.515+01:002014-07-10T01:21:01.515+01:00I really enjoyed reading this post, Clarissa! I ha...I really enjoyed reading this post, Clarissa! I had actually read it days ago and thought I commented on it, just to find out I didn't...<br /><br />Anyhoo, Douglas' life and poetry both seem fascinating. But from what I read he might be one of those people that would be very difficult to deal with in real life but that are delightful to read about in fiction. Does that make sense? I mean, I would not like to be the recipient of that fashion advice letter, despite his good intentions... But I'm probably not doing him any justice as a young poet and soldier and I bet his girlfriends (and mother) would be very ready to defend him. xxPaulahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16549467720857136573noreply@blogger.com