A typically untypical range of poems, read by Kerry Elkins and John Mackay. Sublime and surreal poems nestle comfortably alongside heartfelt tales of loss and longing. Poems include Stevie Smith's macabre work The River God and a more benign reflection on nature from the great pre-Raphaelite Dante Gabriel Rossetti in his poem 'Silent Noon'. Alastair Reid's work makes regular appearances on the programme but it's usually in the form of his translations of Pablo Neruda's work, so Roger takes the chance to introduce some of his own poetry; the beguiling 'What's What' and a simply beautiful one called 'Oddments, Inklings, Omens, Movements.'
Producer: Sarah Langan. Show less