Odour of Chrysanthemums is one of D.H. Lawrence’s best-known short stories. Published in 1914 in the collection The Prussian Officer, the story was inspired by a real mining accident involving a relative of D.H. Lawrence’s at Brinsley Colliery, which appears on the front cover.

In his introduction, John Lucas describes how the start of the 20th century was alive with new energies – socialism, suffragettism, anti-imperialism – while regional accent and local dialect were enriching and confusing a sense of national identity. And there were new literary energies including that of D.H. Lawrence gaining attention among newly enfranchised readers, women as well as men, many relying on the spread of public libraries, penny-a-week book clubs and local Mechanics Institutes.

Included in Lucas’ introduction is Lawrence’s poem ‘A Collier’s Wife,’ which, like Odour of Chrysanthemums, reminds us how a collier’s life could be shattered at any point, with their wives having to deal with the results.

John Lucas is a poet, novelist and publisher, Emeritus Professor of English from Nottingham Trent and Loughborough University, and the author of D.H. Lawrence: Selected Poetry and Non-Fictional Prose.