Mortal consequences

1912 – 1994

Julian Symons's work has probably been as varied as that of any living writer. He made a reputation before the Second World War as editor of Twentieth Century Verse, a 'little' magazine which published most of the young poets outside the immediate Auden circle. After that he put his foot on what he calls the treadmill of murder by publishing a comic crime story, which he now regards as so bad that he won't allow it to be reprinted. Several crime stories later, he can look back on two, *The Colour of Murder* and *The Progress of Crime*, that have received awards as the best books of their year. He still keeps a toe in what he regards as the generally shallow waters of recent poetry, but also …