John Davidson

A Selection of Poetry John Davidson

Davidson is hardly remembered today and part of the thinking behind this slim collection of his very best poems is to try to make his work available to readers in the 21st century. His poetry is often classified as fin de siècle and, as a result, his work often finds its way into anthologies alongside Oscar Wilde. There is a world-weary tone to some of his poems, but, as a label, fin de siècle does not really do justice to his best work ? which influenced many avowedly modernist poets. At their best his poems display a sensitivity to ordinary life and a consciousness of class and a compassion for ordinary people, delivered in a fresh and arresting voice.