Having recently finished reading all 822 poems in The Oxford Book of English my appetite for great poems has not diminished. So I am reading through Paradise Lost, an epic poem in blank verse by the 17th-century English poet John… Read More ›
English Literature
After reading all 822 poems in The Oxford Book of English – mission accomplished!
The prestigious anthology of English poems The Oxford Book of English Verse contains 822 poems from the 13th century “Sumer is icumen in” through to Seamus Heaney’s “The Pitchfork” in the late 20th century. The greatest wordsmiths in the English… Read More ›
A brief review of Professor Abdal Hakim Murad’s new book ‘Travelling Home, Essays on Islam in Europe’.
I had thought of writing a detailed review of Professor Abdal Hakim Murad’s new book Travelling Home, Essays on Islam in Europe which he kindly sent me recently. Instead I felt moved to pen this heartfelt cri de cœur. Be… Read More ›
Richard III Laurence Olivier clip (1955)
Shakespeare’s film adaptation of the play Richard III Richard – Laurence Olivier (48 years old) Director – Laurence Olivier “Thou troublest me. I’m not in the vein”. That’s getting said at work.
What is the Caledonian Antisyzygy?
Having just read the poem The Caledonian Antisyzygy by Hugh MacDiarmid I needed to find out what is this ‘Caledonian Antisyzygy’? And how on earth does one pronounce it?
“The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock” by T.S. Eliot |read by Jeremy Irons|
This is one of my favourite poems by one of my favourite poets. It inaugurated a new movement in poetry. I like this particular reading for its slow, meditative style.
‘Vice is a monster of so frightful mien, as to be hated needs but to be seen, yet seen too oft, familiar with her face, we first endure, then pity, then embrace.’ – Alexander Pope
Pope’s words are as fresh and relevant today as they ever were. Alexander Pope (1688 – 1744) is regarded as one of the greatest English poets. He is best known for his satirical and discursive poetry, including The Rape of… Read More ›
When all are sexless there will be equality.
When all are sexless there will be equality. There will be no women and no men. There will be but a fraternity, free and equal. The only consoling thought is that it will endure but for one generation. ~ GK… Read More ›
T. S. Eliot – The Waste Land
The legendary Jeremy Irons and Eileen Atkins read the classic poem The Waste Land by T. S. Eliot. It was first broadcast on 30 March 2012, on BBC Radio 4. Such an amazing recording of an extraordinary poem!