The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles "(Of) The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" (Together with Some Account of the Participation of the Pugs and the Poms and the Intervention of the Great Rumpus Cat) is a poem by T. S. Eliot, which appears in the book, "Old Possum's Book of Practical Cats" (published 1939). Andrew Lloyd Webber's musical "Cats" is adapted from the book, and "The Awefull Battle of the Pekes and the Pollicles" is included in the musical, in which it is sung mostly by Munkustrap. It describes a battle between two neighbouring
T. S. Eliot of personal difficulty for Eliot—his marriage was failing, and both he and Vivienne were suffering from nervous disorders. The poem is often read as a representation of the disillusionment of the post-war generation. Before the poem's publication as a book in December 1922, Eliot distanced himself from its vision of despair. On 15 November 1922, he wrote to Richard Aldington, saying, "As for "The Waste Land", that is a thing of the past so far as I am concerned and I am now feeling toward a new form and style." The poem is known for its obscure nature—its slippage between