The House of Dust: A Symphony

Conrad Aiken (1889 - 1973)

The House of Dust is a poem written in the four-movement format of a classical symphony. Hauntingly beautiful despite its bleak post-World War I depictions of human mortality and loss, the poem develops its movements around central images such as Japanese ukiyo-e ("floating world") woodblock prints, touching the reader's senses with endlessly evocative allusions to wind, sea, and weather. In this underlying Japanese sensibility and dependence on central perceptual images, Aiken's poem is similar to poetry of Imagists of the time such as Amy Lowell. Also deeply influenced by the concepts of modern psychology, Aiken delved deeply into individual human identity and emotion. - Summary by Expatriate

Genre(s): Single author

Language: English

Section Chapter Reader Time
Play 01 Part 01 Expatriate
00:21:19
Play 02 Part 02 Expatriate
00:28:34
Play 03 Part 03 Expatriate
00:54:27
Play 04 Part 04 Expatriate
00:37:10