England

(Paperback)

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The patriot's song book, which includes such rollicking word-smiths as Hilaire Belloc, G K Chesterton, Rudyard Kipling and the lyrics of Gilbert and Sullivan. Memorable, funny, gloriously paced for chanting in the bath, over the wreck of a picnic or out in a boat on a river. Poems that were written to be spoken, not dissected in the classroom or in an academic journal. England, as every fan of Flanders & Swan will know, hasn't really got a national song. This collection more than fills the gap. Despite the worldwide spread of the English language in the wake of the Empire, the poets of England were always more interested in personal freedom than political conformity. Those rallying cries from the pens of Blake, Byron and Brook are as relevant as ever.