The Poem and the Journey
Ruth Padel is a scholar, poet, and Fellow of the Royal Society of Literature. She reviews widely in the U.K. and U.S., writes and broadcasts on fiction, science, music and wildlife. Her 52 Ways of Looking at a Poem is the inspiration for this site, and we are pleased to have the opportunity to feature chapters of her latest book of close-readings The Poem and the Journey: And Sixty Poems to Read Along the Way (Chatto & Windus 2007).
Each chapter reads one poem. In Gillian Beer's words, Padel's method "opens many pathways for the reader of contemporary poetry, bringing to bear not only current thinking but the whole world of the past." Five chapters will be showcased on the Strix between April 2007 and March 2008 -- starting with a reading of New Generation poet Moniza Alvi's 'How the World Split in Two' from How the Stone Found Its Voice (Bloodaxe 2005).
Due to copyright restrictions, these pages will only be visible to readers in the UK and the Commonwealth, with the exception of Canada. We are sorry to disappoint the rest of the world, but all of Ms. Padel's books are available at major book outlets and poetry specialty bookstores.
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Excerpts | |||
| Chap. 1 | Michael Donaghy | Machines | ||
| Chap. 13 | Geoffrey Hill | Mercian Hymns VI | ||
| Chap. 37 | J. H. Prynne | The Holy City | ||
| Chap. 50 | Moniza Alvi | How the World Split in Two | ||
| Chap. 59 | Elizabeth Jennings | Rembrandt's Late Self-Portraits | ||