by W. H. Auden
First published 2018
In summer 1936, W. H. Auden and Louis MacNeice journey to Iceland under commission to produce a travel book. Their mission takes an unexpected turn as global tensions mount around them. Hitler's power grows daily. Unemployment spreads across nations. World war appears inevitable. The two writers find themselves documenting concerns that stretch far beyond their Icelandic holiday. They work in what Auden calls a "holiday spirit," yet both men remain aware of the threatening horizon that looms over their picnic. Their collaboration unfolds through poetry and prose, reportage and letters. The Spanish Civil War erupts as they prepare their manuscript. The shadow of approaching world conflict darkens their work, transforming a simple travel commission into something far more significant.
Genres: historical-fiction, 20th-century, adventure, academic
Vibes: atmospheric, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Iceland, Spain
Period: 1936
312 pages · Paperback · Faber and Faber limited