London Lyrics

Frederick Locker-Lampson captures the particular charm and strangeness of Victorian London in these graceful, witty verses. Written with a light touch that belies their precision, the poems observe the rhythms of city life, the folly of courtship, and the quiet melancholy lurking beneath polished surfaces. Locker-Lampson possesses that most Victorian of gifts: the ability to be simultaneously funny and sad, to find poetry in a dinner party and pathos in a missed connection. These are not weighty meditations butsmall, perfectly formed moments rendered in elegant couplets. For readers who delight in the minor poets, who savor thetexture of London fog and gaslight, or who simply enjoy verse that manages to be clever without trying too hard, this collection offers an afternoon's pleasant company.