The Free Press
NewslettersSign InSubscribe

Share this post

The Free Press
The Free Press
Things Worth Remembering: Facing Old Age with Defiance
Things Worth Remembering: Facing Old Age with Defiance
A woman dances the cancan in Britain. (Photo via Getty Images)
Jenny Joseph’s ‘Warning’ is one of the most popular poems ever written—for good reason.
By Douglas Murray
09.17.23 — Culture and Ideas
273
482

Share this post

The Free Press
The Free Press
Things Worth Remembering: Facing Old Age with Defiance

Welcome back to Douglas Murray’s Sunday column, Things Worth Remembering, where he presents passages from great poets he has committed to memory—and explains why you should, too. To listen to Douglas read Jenny Joseph’s poem “Warning,” click below:

1×
0:00
-2:43
Audio playback is not supported on your browser. Please upgrade.

Some poems are so popular people are embarrassed to say they like them. Rudyard Kipling’s “If” is one example. I must admit I think slightly less of anyone who tells me that poem is their favorite.

Jenny Joseph’s poem “Warning” falls into this category. It’s extremely popular, loved especially by people who do not otherwise read poetry. 

But it is a wonderful work.

Jenny Joseph is not a famous name. And it is said that she had a difficult relationship with her famous work. 

Born in 1932, Joseph wrote and published the poem when she was just 28. But it lay dormant for almost a quarter of a century. Then, British poet Philip Larkin included it in his 1973 Oxford Book of Twentieth Century English Verse. Following that, Liz Carpenter, the spokeswoman for former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson, wrote a piece in Reader’s Digest in the early 1980s that included “Warning”—and it blew up.

The poem soon found its way onto tea towels, greeting cards, and kitchen magnets. But Joseph’s major hit overwhelmed the rest of her career. And apparently, she was a little resentful of that fact.

Most interesting is not how this poem caught on—but why.

Maintaining The Free Press is Expensive!
To support independent journalism, and unlock all of our investigative stories and provocative commentary about the world as it actually is, subscribe below.
Already have an account?
Sign In
Douglas Murray
Douglas Murray is the best-selling author of seven books, and is a regular contributor at the New York Post, National Review, and other publications. His work as a reporter has taken him to Iraq, North Korea, northern Nigeria, and Ukraine. Born in London, he now lives in New York.
Tags:
Culture
Comments
Join the conversation
Share your thoughts and connect with other readers by becoming a paid subscriber!
Already a paid subscriber? Sign in

No posts

For Free People.
LatestSearchAboutCareersShopPodcastsVideoEvents
©2025 The Free Press. All Rights Reserved.Powered by Substack.
Privacy∙Terms∙Collection notice

Share