Mr. J. C. Hall, the author of this survey of the full scope of Edwin Muir’s work and himself a poet, wrote a perceptive introduction to Muir’s Collected Poems 1921-1951, a volume which was published in 1952.
Recognized as he now is as one of the best of living poets, a position which will be still further established by his new collection, One Foot in Eden, Edwin Muir has shown grace and originality in many branches of letters; in novels, criticism, travel, biography and autobiography. His voice is a quiet one, but it is always distinct, always worth listening to, while his translations, especially those of Kafka made in collaboration with his wife, have had a profound effect on the literature of our time.
It is a major virtue in Mr. Hall’s essay that he allows his subject to speak so poetically for himself. Few readers will put it down without wishing to explore or re-explore Muir’s work.