On Auden's 'The Unknown Citizen' CONTENT W.H. Auden, a renowned and truly free-spirited poet of the 20th century, his works encompassed a wide and varied range of themes, including society, politics, history, and the philosophy of life, all of which established him as an almost unrivalled figure in English literature. Time has a profound effect on the poet's life, and the effects of war, struggle, class, economic crisis, unemployment, despair, and social injustice have all deeply touched the mind of WH Auden. In the first half of the twentieth century, during the chaos of the two world wars, Auden's poetry played a truly significant role in capturing the societal aspects of Europe, this raised horror debates and earned him the incredible accolade of having 'the greatest mind of the twentieth century,' as was expressed by Joseph Brodsky. The Unknown Citizen is undoubtedly one of Auden's most important poems. It tackles the recurring theme of the dilemma a...