Відео

One of those short but moving moments in Homer's Odyssey, this time when Odysseus in disguise is recognised by his dog, Argos, after twenty years. This version is translated by T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) and is taken from The Oxford Book of Greek Verse in Translation, edited by Higham and Bowra (Oxford, 1942). Image from the internet.

This extract from an essay by William Hazlitt, "The Spirit of Humanity in Shakespeare", appears in The Oxford Book of English Prose, ed. Sir Arthur Quiller-Couch, Oxford/Clarendon Press, 1958. It discusses Shakespeare's compassion in portraying low-life characters such as Shallow, Bardolph, Nym, etc. Recording is a little rough; some ambient sound, eg, page turning, thunder and rain. Illustrati...

An extract from AJ Baker's classic, The Peregrine (HarperCollins, 2015) - October 12th. Read by MIchael Blackburn. Baker's work is more than a nature book - it's the finest piece of writing by an English author since the end of the Second World War. It transcends its genre. In this extract Baker recounts following a peregrine to the shore where it attacks and kills a dunlin.

This is the first section of Laurence Binyon's poem: THE BURNING OF THE LEAVES ` Now is the time for the burning of the leaves. They go to the fire; the nostril pricks with smoke Wandering slowly into a weeping mist. Brittle and blotched, ragged and rotten sheaves! A flame seizes the smouldering ruin and bites On stubborn stalks that crackle as they resist. The last hollyhock’s fallen tower is ...

A few comments on Auden's poem on haters. If you enjoyed this or any of my other podcasts please consider making a donation (helps me eke out my pension) - www.paypal.me/SunkIsland Many thanks.

Robert Baden-Powell (1857 - 1941) was a decorated soldier, a writer and the founder of the international scout movement. These extracts are from his classic book, Scouting for Boys, which laid the foundations for the scouting movement. The text used is from the original 1908 edition (edited with intro by Elleke Boehmer; Oxford University Press, 2005). If you enjoyed this or any of my other podc...

This extract is from Thomas Carlyle's essay, "The Hero as Poet," contained in Hero Worship. It deals with Dante's powerful and famous portrayal of the two lovers, Paolo and Francesca (in the Inferno). "Painting," in this context, refers to Dante's verbal skills, not to the illustration. The illustration is by Henry Fuseli, "Dante Observing the Soaring Souls of Paolo and Francesca." The excerpt ...

Auden's poem about Michel de Montaigne. Poem from the Faber edition (1981) of Auden's Collected Shorter Poems. Picture of Montaigne courtesy of Wikipedia. If you enjoyed this or any of my other podcasts please consider buying me a pint (or a bottle of red, I don’t mind) - www.paypal.me/SunkIsland Thanks.

The poet and author, Richard Le Gallienne (1866 - 1947), tells how the infamous poet, Algernon Charles Swinburne (1837 - 1909), managed to get his regular tipple without being found out by his friend and guardian, Watts-Dunton. Swinburne, according to Le Gallienne, was “no ordinary drunkard.” Well, no, he was a poet, after all. This extract is taken from Le Gallienne’s book, The Romantic ‘90s; ...

There Will Be No Peace One of Auden’s less well-known poems. Apposite in many situations. From: Collected Shorter Poems 1927-1957, Faber & Faber, London, 1966. Image credit - blog.bestamericanpoetry.com/the_best_american_poetry/auden/ If you enjoyed this or any of my other podcasts please consider making a donation (helps me eke out my pension) - www.paypal.me/SunkIsland Many thanks.

The poem is taken from More Poems by A E Housman. Centennial Edition of Complete Poems, ed. Basil Davenport; Henry Holt and Company, New York, 1959. If you have enjoyed this podcast or others on my channel please consider showing your appreciation by making a donation, however small, to www.paypal.me/SunkIsland

Norman Nicholson (1914-1987) was a fine poet who lived most of his life in Cumbria. “Nobbut God” is taken from Sea To The West, published by Faber and Faber in 1981. For those not acquainted with Yorkshire/northern dialect, "nobbut" =" nothing but" or "only". The epigraph to the poem reads: "First on, there was nobbut God. Genesis, Chap1, v.1., Yorkshire Dialect Translation." The photo is court...

We are used to the idea that the heart of darkness is to be found in man but not so used to seeing it also lying outside. In Conrad's Heart of Darkness the natural world is not innocent. If you have enjoyed this podcast or others on my channel please consider showing your appreciation by making a donation, however small, to www.paypal.me/SunkIsland The introductory music is played by Jon Sayles...

Keith Douglas was the finest British poet of the Second World War. After fighting in the North African desert he took part in the invasion of Europe and died in Normandy at the age of just 24. The version of the poem here is the original one and is, to my mind, superior to the revised version. The text is from the Faber edition of Selected Poems, chosen and introduced by Ted Hughes (London, 196...

An extract from The South Country by Edward Thomas, read by Michael Blackburn

"Was it a dream?" - An amorous sonnet by Edmund Spenser (Amoretti LXXVII) read by Michael Blackburn.

The Erotic Nerve; from A Glastonbury Romance by John Cowper Powys

The Poet Holds His Future In His Hand, a poem by B S Johnson read by Michael Blackburn

The Spectator, the first article (1711), read by Michael Blackburn.

The Little Dancers by Binyon: a reading and microlecture

Scum of the Earth by Koestler: an extract read by Michael Blackburn

A brief intro to the poet, Brian Higgins.

The Necessity of Freedom of Speech - J S Mill, On Liberty (a brief extract)

“Settle thine imagination, thou art well” - extract from The Anatomy of Melancholy by Robert Burton

John Locke on reading properly (Of the Conduct of the Understanding)

Stella, the social justice warrior; in Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock (1818)

Ken Smith, poet: a personal recollection and two poems.

The fierce joy of Merry England (from Storm Jameson's The Decline of Merry England)

On the English, by Santayana; for St George's Day