Dubbed the "Chameleon Poet" by his biographer Robert Fraser, any analysis of George Barker's poetry needs to look at his multitude of influences from his tumultuous life. The simple fact that he fathered 15 children with multiple women in different countries should give the reader a glimpse into the personality that is so hard to grasp.
The first phase of his life was defined by a refusal of norms. He left school early, scuttled through life doing the odd job here and there until he finally decided to become a full time writer. Early works, like "Calamiterror" show his early involvement in political ideology and rebellion. He refused to adhere to the typical 1930s realistic style of poetry and is therefore sometimes classed as a part of the poetic school of the New Apocalyptics. True scholars of this school would likely refute this idea. However, his early work and also elements of his later work leaned heavily on the fantastic and the expressionistic. Additionally, the prior mentioned poetry collection contains criticism on fascism as it arose around Europe. This early work brought him to the attention of important figures in the publishing circle, helping him to a career as a university professor in Japan.
This completely new environment can also be seen in his new literature, as for example the "Pacific Sonnets" which used Asian and Oceanic Imagery. His early political voice, however, forced him to leave his tenure and after a short and amorous life in the USA he returned to Britain. His amorous adventures fueled a new type of poetry, like "The dead seagull" which discussed his long time affair with Elizabeth Smart. His final years were spent in rural England with death being a constant companion. He wrote poems for the death of his mother and later, already at advanced age, published a singular poem "At Thurgarton Church", discussing in bleak tones the meaning of life and death.
As can be seen through this short historic comparison, George Barker understood to use his surroundings and his own life as an ideal inspiration. He created poetry that would nowadays be considered different genres, from surrealistic sonnets mainly in his early years, to love and lust filled ones in between to bleak and thoughtful poems in his later years. George Barker can truly be called a Chameleon Poet.
