Between 1953-57, John Betjeman read a series of poems on 'The Faith in
the West' program airing on the BBC's West of England Home Service.
This series, called 'Poems in the Porch,' was so popular that Betjeman
received constant requests to publish the poems. Although he
deprecatingly referred to the poems as mere 'verses', Betjeman at last
capitulated to the public. The result was a slim volume of six
poems, entitled Poems in the Porch. What few people now realize is
that Betjeman read at least 20 original poems on the radio in this
series, perhaps even more, although owing to the haphazard records of
both the BBC and Betjeman himself it is impossible to reconstruct with
complete accuracy the history of this series. Kevin Gardner has
been able to identify and collect 26 of these poems and has written a
fascinating introductory essay recounting the story of Betjeman as a
radio poet and discussing the artistry of these poems. Most have
never been published and currently exist only in manuscript. We know
for certain of 20 occasions when Betjeman read his poems on the 'Faith
in the West' program, and of these we know 16 specific titles.
Despite the gap between the BBC records on the one hand and the
printed and manuscript texts on the other, Gardner has been able to
construct a relatively reliable edition of Betjeman's Poems in the
Porch. This book will cause a radical reassessment of his canon and
will create great waved n the Betjeman community.
Les mer
The Radio Poems of John Betjeman
Produktdetaljer
ISBN
9781441144324
Publisert
2015
Utgave
1. utgave
Utgiver
Bloomsbury UK
Språk
Product language
Engelsk
Format
Product format
Digital bok
Forfatter