Oxford Poetry, 1954. Edited by Jonathan Price and Anthony Thwaite.
(Fantasy Press, 5s.) Taus year's Oxford Poetry, coming from a university which we are now accustomed to regard once again as a nest of singing birds, contains many poems which have already been published either in reviews or in Fantasy pamphlets. It is therefore a convenient way of getting acquainted with some young poets without too much trouble. On the whole the standard is high; George MacBeth's 'Advice to a Peeping Tom' stands out among the witty
• ones and his last line is brilliant : 'You missed a proper treat by ducking at the crucial junc- ture, boy.' On a more serious level Adrian Mitchell's 'The Fox' and J. E. M. Lucie- Smith's 'A Tropical Childhood' come off and show that poets in their twenties are not neces- sarily doomed to a period of Empsonian drudgery before producing more individual work. Altogether this is a good five bob's worth. ANTHONY HARTLEY
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