Seamus Heaney, All Day
To celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of Death of a Naturalist [a new edition has been published along with his new collection District and Circle] BBC Radio Ulster have declared today to be Heaney Day [updated link] and will be broadcasting a series of interviews and specially recorded programmes throughout the day, including an interview with Seamus Heaney. Marie-Louise Muir wrote about that interview in the Belfast Telegraph, and Cyber Scribe thoughtfully posted the full article. With luck [fingers crossed] the BBC will add links to the archived shows after broadcasting them [because their current archive is a nightmare - Ed] UpdatedIf I can, I’ll add links to the programmes here.
But while I wait for those, I’ll add a link to two recent poems from Seamus Heaney, published in A Shiver, and also included in District and Circle.
Update
First link. Seamus Heaney and the Group – The story of the creative writing group which met every Monday evening near Queen’s University in the 1960′s, gathered together under the benign dictatorship of Philip Hobsbawn. [link now working]
Another Update
“Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Death of a Naturalist, Marie-Louise speaks to Seamus Heaney about his formative early years and the influence they had on this now famous debut collection.”
Interview available here[RealPlayer audio file - 50 minutes]
I stumbled upon these; you might be interested.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/core/Content/displayPrintable.jhtml?xml=/arts/2006/04/02/boheaney.xml&site=6
http://www.newstatesman.com/Bookshop/200604170037
Thanks Kevin.
Interesting quote from Heaney in the Telegraph link -
” I think there’s a problem with political poetry that is howling that it’s aware.”
Wow, one of those fabulous lines I wish I could have written!
Indeed. I actually saved that quote the moment I read it. No doubt I’ll have lost it by the time I want to employ it.
Was that you with the axe Mr Baker
Perhaps it was only “the famous Northern reticence,” Mr. Devil.
Links to 1988 and 1998 interviews with Heaney, as well as to Heaney reciting “Bogland”:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/bbcfour/audiointerviews/profilepages/heaneys1.shtml
I shall rephrase it for you Mr Baker though it will mean the same.
Poetry is the vehicle of the coward
Poets are cowards that hide behind the vehicle wearing the mask of intelligencia
Revolutionaries and Capitalists are brothers because their lips retell the story of their hearts
Poets and Bureaucrats are brothers because their lips retell the story of their hearts only after their minds have encrypted it and detoured it through their kidneys and the story has been watered down and now left open to interpetation.
The Devil
” the mask of intelligencia”
I’ve seen it! It’s in on display in a little museum in Intelligencia, which lies 32 km north of Valencia.
The mask is believed to be Moorish but the experts continue to argue about this. (BTW A restaurant nearby does a superb seafood platter.)
Doesn’t it seem a bit over the top to decide you can define what all poetry is for all people, Devil? That last post of yours could arguable be a poem:
Poetry is…by The Devil, 17 April 2006
Poetry is
the vehicle of the coward
Poets are
cowards that hide behind the vehicle
wearing the mask of intelligencia
Revolutionaries and Capitalists are brothers
because
their lips retell the story of their hearts
Poets and Bureaucrats are brothers
because
their lips retell the story of their hearts
only after
their minds have encrypted it
and detoured it
through their kidneys
and the story has been watered down
and now
left open to interpetation.
A quick bump to point out, for those who are interested *ahem*, that the interview is now avaiable online – see link in the update to the original post.
Susan,
“Doesn’t it seem a bit over the top to decide you can define what all poetry is for all people, Devil?”
Wordsworth didn’t mind doing it……