Second I Saw You

the long version

A member of the generation of poets who both memorialized and fell victim to World War I, Rupert Brooke, in his short life, was often as celebrated for his love affairs and his good looks as for his accomplished poetry. In 2000 the British Library uncovered a cache of letters and a memoir documenting the previously-unknown love affair between Brooke and Phyllis Gardner, a young art student and, as the letters reveal, the inspiration for Brooke's most intensely sensual poem, "Beauty and Beauty." Brooke and Gardner's story of love, conflict, and loss, expressed in spirited prose, makes these writings a fascinating glimpse into life on the eve of the Great War, as well as a powerful love story. This book tells that story for the first time, largely in the couple's own words, allowing readers to experience this turbulent, passionate affair as directly as possible.--Adapted from publisher description.