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Quake, Quake, Quake: A Leaden Treasury of English Verse
Illustrations by Edward Gorey
- GenresPoetry
109 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1961
42 people want to read
About the author
Paul Dehn
58 booksPaul Dehn was a British screenwriter. He was born in Manchester, educated at Shrewsbury School and Brasenose College, Oxford.
He began his show-business career in 1936 as a film reviewer for several London newspapers. During the Second World War he worked in intelligence.
He narrated the 1951 film Waters of Time and later wrote plays, operettas, and musicals for the stage. He wrote the lyrics for two films, The Innocents (1961) and Moulin Rouge (1952). In 1944 he met the composer James Bernard with whom he worked and who also became his life partner. Paul Dehn asked James Bernard to collaborate with him on the original screen story for the Boulting Brothers film Seven Days to Noon (1950. Through the 1960s Dehn concentrated on several superior espionage films, notably The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), and The Deadly Affair (1967). He later wrote the Planet of the Apes sequels.
His poetry includes The Day's Alarm (1949) and The Romantic Landscape (1952), which included one of his best poems, ‘The Sunken Cathedral. Quake, Quake, Quake was published in 1961, with drawings by Edward Gorey; and The Fern on the Rock (1965).
He began his show-business career in 1936 as a film reviewer for several London newspapers. During the Second World War he worked in intelligence.
He narrated the 1951 film Waters of Time and later wrote plays, operettas, and musicals for the stage. He wrote the lyrics for two films, The Innocents (1961) and Moulin Rouge (1952). In 1944 he met the composer James Bernard with whom he worked and who also became his life partner. Paul Dehn asked James Bernard to collaborate with him on the original screen story for the Boulting Brothers film Seven Days to Noon (1950. Through the 1960s Dehn concentrated on several superior espionage films, notably The Spy Who Came in from the Cold (1965), and The Deadly Affair (1967). He later wrote the Planet of the Apes sequels.
His poetry includes The Day's Alarm (1949) and The Romantic Landscape (1952), which included one of his best poems, ‘The Sunken Cathedral. Quake, Quake, Quake was published in 1961, with drawings by Edward Gorey; and The Fern on the Rock (1965).
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 24, 2023
Fear no more the heat o' the sun
Nor the furious winter's rages.
I fix both to suit the one
Who atomic warfare wages.
Golden lads and girls all must
(Spring or winter) come to dust.
We do like to collect all things Edward Gorey and this is a new treasure for our collection.
Gorey has provided his unique style illustrations to some of the bleakest poetry I have read. The theme throughout is war and nuclear weapons which Dehn seamlessly weaves into well know children's nursery rhymes, Christian hymns, and other recognisable ditties.
Many brought a smile of sorts and they all made me ponder how things haven't changed much in the 60 years since they were written, as we still live under the cloud of potential nuclear annihilation.
4 1/2 stars.
Nor the furious winter's rages.
I fix both to suit the one
Who atomic warfare wages.
Golden lads and girls all must
(Spring or winter) come to dust.
We do like to collect all things Edward Gorey and this is a new treasure for our collection.
Gorey has provided his unique style illustrations to some of the bleakest poetry I have read. The theme throughout is war and nuclear weapons which Dehn seamlessly weaves into well know children's nursery rhymes, Christian hymns, and other recognisable ditties.
Many brought a smile of sorts and they all made me ponder how things haven't changed much in the 60 years since they were written, as we still live under the cloud of potential nuclear annihilation.
4 1/2 stars.
November 10, 2020
An odd mixed bag of darkly humorous short poetry that probably felt edgy at the time and now feels hacky, and absolutely haunting stuff that's still pretty potent, all about the dawn of the nuclear age and the sunset of humanity.
An interesting oddity, not quite as good as I hoped. I often struggle when Gorey illustrates writers I find less interesting than Gorey himself. Gorey's illustration work is magnificent, though.
An interesting oddity, not quite as good as I hoped. I often struggle when Gorey illustrates writers I find less interesting than Gorey himself. Gorey's illustration work is magnificent, though.
September 11, 2017
This book is amazing. Everyone should read it. It's great.
January 22, 2012
This is a fantastic forgotten treasure of cold war literature; it's reminiscent of Spike Milligan in that the poems are short (most are four or five lines long) and humorous. This isn't a collection of nonsense verse, however; the purpose of the book is a biting poetic commentary on the politics and science of the late 50s/early 60s, and to my mind, that purpose is definitely achieved.
Many of the poems are pastiches or riffs on the classics of English verse, from Shakespeare to Wordsworth to nursery rhymes and hymns, rewritten for a modern atomic age. The book is illustrated throughout by macabre little drawings from Edward Gorey, which only add to the delight and dark (gallows?) humour of the text.
A very worthy addition to the bookshelf of anyone who is interested in the earlier literature of the cold war, or the atom; beautifully presented, and a quick and enjoyable read, especially with historical hindsight. Highly recommended.
Many of the poems are pastiches or riffs on the classics of English verse, from Shakespeare to Wordsworth to nursery rhymes and hymns, rewritten for a modern atomic age. The book is illustrated throughout by macabre little drawings from Edward Gorey, which only add to the delight and dark (gallows?) humour of the text.
A very worthy addition to the bookshelf of anyone who is interested in the earlier literature of the cold war, or the atom; beautifully presented, and a quick and enjoyable read, especially with historical hindsight. Highly recommended.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews