Old Possums Katzenbuch

Old Possum's Book of Practical cats is a rhythmic plethora of cat life, written by T. S. Eliot. This collection of poems where originally pieces written for Eliot's God Children which where then put together in the 30s to create this book. Many years later in the 80s the very words Eliot wrote inspired the musical 'Cats' which has since then been made into a film. Each of these poems rhyme with a mischievous flow as cats of all kinds are brought to life. There are many names in this book which take a minute to process, as they aren't the sorts of names we see, hear or even read these days. These poems are of course from the 1930's so we are given a slice of the 30's terminology and names which is interesting in the modern day. T. S. Eliot gives cats of all types the most outrageous personalities and comical habits. In my edition of the book, these furry felines are brought to life with illustrations by Nicolas Bentley. All of these depictions brilliantly represent the liveliness of the poems and their characters. There are quite a few pieces I thought would be great as prints, they are simple yet joyously fresh. I enjoyed this poetry book by T. S. Eliot, I look forward to exploring some of his other poetry aimed for an older audience. Personal favourites:Mr. MistoffeleesMacvity: The mystery catGus: The theatre catBustopher Jones: The cat about townI highly recommend this book to cat lovers, people who enjoyed the musical cats, and to young people trying to get into poetry. I think the simplicity of subject matter written so well is a great start when dipping your toes into the world of poetry.