I'm a big fan of Samuel Taylor Coleridge, but frankly it had been a while since I read anything about him, so I didn't expect not to enjoy this new mini-biography. In theory, this short summary of his life and work ought to be a fun and approachable introduction. It doesn't have the heft of a scholarly critical biography to bewilder the casual reader, and it includes most of the major poems in their entirety.

So far, so good. But once I began reading the book, I found it disturbing in several ways. First, the author maintains a detached, cynical perspective throughout the first part of the work, belittling Coleridge for his naive ideas about politics, poetry, and life. While a critical eye towards one's subject is generally healthy, Hahn shows no enthusiasm toward the young Coleridge, with a cynical style that appears antithetical to the spirit of his subject. As Hahn eventually waxes enthusiastic about the mature Coleridge - his sentiment finally breaking free on the topics of mid-life addiction, tragedy, and genius wasted - the book's bigger problem is the general lack of commentary on the poems themselves. Each poem is presented in its appropriate biographical spot, and Hahn does provide the genesis and relevance of many works. But what's missing is any help in reading the poems themselves. Wordsworth and Coleridge may have encouraged the use of natural, conversational language, but most of Coleridge's poetry is not natural to the modern reader. Merely leaving it as-is only confuses and clutters, despite how much I like many of these poems.

As a result, what you have is a very short, concise biography, interspersed with all of Coleridge's major (and many minor) works, unannotated, almost as if the publisher needed to ensure a proper page count. I wouldn't say that the book is bad, but I am confused as to its audience. That is, a young student would definitely need more direct help with the poetic works, and a practiced scholar would already be entirely familiar with the content. So in short, I would never recommend this book, as there is probably always something else more appropriate to the task. ( )

Accessible and knowledgeable, this brief biography is well suited to undergraduates or general readers. It makes sensible connections between the incidents of STC's life and his poetry without falling prey to an impulse to draw one-to-one correspondence between them. The book clearly illustrates both astonishing breadth of Coleridge's intellect and talent, and the unhappiness which plagued him throughout adulthood, in the form of tormented relations with friends and family, addiction, and failure to achieve (within his lifetime) the desired measure of fame and reputation. ( )

First, this book is the perfect size for easy carrying and reading anywhere. Content-wise, it's basically a succinct glimpse at Coleridge's poetry set in the context of his life while it was being written. There are plenty of places where the reader may want more information—but if you wanted a more detailed discussion, you'd be reading a longer book. The short, sweet, and to the point style works well for this size and style of book. Also, the abundance of poems printed in full is fantastic and their details are really brought out by the surrounding biography. ( )

This brief [167p] volume covers the essentials of Coleridge's poetry well. The approach is, as would be expected from the title, biographical. There are extensive quotes and complete poems to support the biography, on occasions almost too interrupting to the flow of Daniel Hahn's story of the poet's development. The important time in Germany is somewhat glossed over, but the emphasis is almost entirely on the poetry, rather than the much broader range of thinking of a giant of literary criticism. This aspect of Coleridge's life, which occupied so much of the latter part of his life, is given attention in the last two chapters. Hahn writes from a great interest in and knowledge of his subject; the writing is clear and concise and readily accessible, although the overuse of the semi-colon to insert the next idea is sometimes disconcerting. I recommend this book to anyone wanting a lucid overview of Coleridge's life as poet, and it has the bonus of providing a taster for the poet as wider [and greater] thinker. ( )

This enchanting mix of Coleridge's poetry with the major events of his life is a very accessible introduction to Coleridge and the English Romantic poetic movement that grew around him. His relationship with Wordsworth, with all of its ups and downs, is highlighted. In addition, we get some insight into his unhappy marriage and his relationships with female muses who played a significant role in the development of his art. If you are unfamiliar with Coleridge and his work, this book may be the best way to learn about both. If you already love Coleridge's poetry (as I do), this book will provide you with insight in terms of the links between his poems and the major events of his life. Coleridge was well-known in his time as a bridge between the German Romantic movement and its English counterpart. It was illuminating to learn how he earned this reputation. I was also particularly interested in how Coleridge's well-known opium addiction influenced his poetry. I finished this book satisfied that I had such an understanding. I recommend this book highly. It is one of a series of books on major poets, and I plan to investigate other volumes in the series.