W. H. Auden was regarded by his contemporaries in Britain in the 1930s as the supremely original poet of the age. His flamboyant personality and peculiar morality outraged the conservative establishment but delighted the young. Auden became a cult - a prophetic voice condemning the 30s as a ' low, dishonest decade' and identifying the hysterical paranoia which was the breeding ground of Fascism.
In 1939 Auden left England to settle in New York. He continued to write poetry, criticism and opera libretti until his death, in a hotel room in Vienna, in 1973. In the first film portrait since his death Auden is remembered by relatives and friends:
John Auden , Christopher Isherwood Stephen Spender , Golo Mann Robert Medley.
Quite magnificent. (THE TIMES) Written by ROBERT ROBINSON Produced by adau low