Letters of T. S. Eliot Volume 10: 1942–1944

This volume captures T.S. Eliot at the height of his cultural influence during the Second World War, offering a fascinating window into how one of the twentieth century's most significant poets defined his role as a cultural defender. Through his lecture tour of Sweden, BBC broadcasts, and readings for various Allied support funds, these wartime letters reveal Eliot consciously engaging in cultural warfare, framing intellectual work as a vital component of the broader conflict. The correspondence shows him navigating the practical realities of wartime London while maintaining his literary output and public engagements, including his important lecture on "The Music of Poetry" in Glasgow. Readers witness Eliot's deliberate construction of a cultural front against fascism, where poetry readings and critical essays become acts of resistance.

What distinguishes this collection is its intimate portrayal of a major literary figure grappling with the relationship between art and political crisis, making it particularly compelling for those interested in modernist literature's response to global conflict. The letters demonstrate Eliot's nuanced understanding of cultural preservation as wartime strategy, showing him allocating his limited energy between creative work, publishing responsibilities at Faber, and public advocacy for European values. Young scholars of modernism will find rich material here about how aesthetic principles like those in "The Music of Poetry" lecture connected to Eliot's broader cultural mission during these turbulent years. This volume ultimately presents a portrait of the artist as cultural soldier, documenting how Eliot weaponized his literary authority when he believed civilization itself was at stake.