Stephen Spender

A prominent member of the generation of writers who emerged after the First World War, British poet Stephen Spender (1909-95) has often been described as the conscience of the thirties, the turbulent decade which saw the rise of Hitler, Franco and Fascism. Returning to the places which influenced his early life and work, he talks about his political and artistic concerns during that period and recollects his friendships with contemporaries, including W. H. Auden and Christopher Isherwood.