In the fourth episode of Medieval Beginnings, Mary and Irina climb inside a tiny cell to explore the Ancrene Wisse, a guidebook written in the early 13th century, originally intended for three anchoresses, but which enjoyed a much wider audience (there was even a copy in Henry VIII’s library).The women addressed by the text lived lives of extraordinary restriction, permanently enclosed in small anchorholds, in order to devote themselves to prayer and contemplation. The Ancrene Wisse is a striking literary artefact, a piece of learned and often beautiful writing, but one which elaborates a broad and detailed conception of sin in its prescription for the control of women's minds and bodies.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the fourth episode of Medieval Beginnings, Mary and Irina climb inside a tiny cell to explore the Ancrene Wisse, a guidebook written in the early 13th century, originally intended for three anchoresses, but which enjoyed a much wider audience (there was even a copy in Henry VIII’s library).The women addressed by the text lived lives of extraordinary restriction, permanently enclosed in small anchorholds, in order to devote themselves to prayer and contemplation. The Ancrene Wisse is a striking literary artefact, a piece of learned and often beautiful writing, but one which elaborates a broad and detailed conception of sin in its prescription for the control of women's minds and bodies.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mbsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: The Ancrene Wisse

Henry James

The third episode of The Long and Short turns to the short stories of Henry James. Mark and Seamus look in particular at ‘The Aspern Papers’, which, like Tennyson’s ‘Maud’, offers a diagnosis of obsession, in this case through a sensuous, excruciating and often comedic Venetian psychodrama. Mark and Seamus discuss the emergence of the short story at the end of the 19th century, and how certain features of the form – its attachment to unresolved endings, its debt to the dramatic monologue – can be found in James’s own stories, along with his other major themes, such as the tortured relationship between the public and private, and the experience of Americans in Europe.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

The third episode of The Long and Short turns to the short stories of Henry James. Mark and Seamus look in particular at ‘The Aspern Papers’, which, like Tennyson’s ‘Maud’, offers a diagnosis of obsession, in this case through a sensuous, excruciating and often comedic Venetian psychodrama. Mark and Seamus discuss the emergence of the short story at the end of the 19th century, and how certain features of the form – its attachment to unresolved endings, its debt to the dramatic monologue – can be found in James’s own stories, along with his other major themes, such as the tortured relationship between the public and private, and the experience of Americans in Europe.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/tlassignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: Henry James's short stories

In the third episode of Among the Ancients, Emily and Tom move from epic to lyric, with the poems of Sappho, or what remains of them. They consider what we know, and don’t know, about her life, and how her poetry challenges the heroic tradition, both in its subversion of Homeric ideas of war and nostos, and in its playful use of language.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third episode of Among the Ancients, Emily and Tom move from epic to lyric, with the poems of Sappho, or what remains of them. They consider what we know, and don’t know, about her life, and how her poetry challenges the heroic tradition, both in its subversion of Homeric ideas of war and nostos, and in its playful use of language.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/atasignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: Sappho

In the third episode of Medieval Beginnings, Mary and Irina explore the much-chronicled life of St Cuthbert, as told by the most famous writer of the early medieval period, the so-called Venerable Bede. From Cuthbert’s childhood interest in naked handstands, to his later work as a charismatic preacher who could elicit total confession, and as a hermit who enjoyed the assistance of friendly sea otters, it was a life which, as told by Bede, both challenged and conformed to the expected patterns of hagiography.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third episode of Medieval Beginnings, Mary and Irina explore the much-chronicled life of St Cuthbert, as told by the most famous writer of the early medieval period, the so-called Venerable Bede. From Cuthbert’s childhood interest in naked handstands, to his later work as a charismatic preacher who could elicit total confession, and as a hermit who enjoyed the assistance of friendly sea otters, it was a life which, as told by Bede, both challenged and conformed to the expected patterns of hagiography.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mbsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: Bede's Life of Cuthbert

Walt Whitman

In the second episode of The Long and Short, Mark and Seamus turn to Walt Whitman's ‘Song of Myself’, from Leaves of Grass (1855), for Mark ‘one of the most exciting things literature has to offer’. They discuss the extraordinary physicality and exuberance of this seminal American poem, its relationship with urbanism, capitalism and sexuality, and its Johnny Appleseed-spirit, among many other things.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the second episode of The Long and Short, Mark and Seamus turn to Walt Whitman's ‘Song of Myself’, from Leaves of Grass (1855), for Mark ‘one of the most exciting things literature has to offer’. They discuss the extraordinary physicality and exuberance of this seminal American poem, its relationship with urbanism, capitalism and sexuality, and its Johnny Appleseed-spirit, among many other things.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/tlassignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: Walt Whitman's 'Song of Myself'

In episode two of Among the Ancients, Tom and Emily turn to Homer’s Odyssey. They discuss the twisting, turning nature of both the narrative and its hero, the poem’s complex interrogation of the idea of ‘home’, and the violence Odysseus brings with him on his return from the Trojan War.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode two of Among the Ancients, Tom and Emily turn to Homer’s Odyssey. They discuss the twisting, turning nature of both the narrative and its hero, the poem’s complex interrogation of the idea of ‘home’, and the violence Odysseus brings with him on his return from the Trojan War.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/atasignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: The 'Odyssey'

In episode two of Medieval Beginnings, Mary and Irina turn the pages of the Exeter Book, a remarkable 10th century manuscript containing numerous poems and riddles, some of which are written in the voices of women. They consider in particular the enigmatic and beautiful ‘Wife’s Lament’ and ‘Wulf and Eadwacer’, and their numerous interpretations, and compare them to an extraordinary collection of letters written by influential women to St Boniface in the 8th century.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode two of Medieval Beginnings, Mary and Irina turn the pages of the Exeter Book, a remarkable 10th century manuscript containing numerous poems and riddles, some of which are written in the voices of women. They consider in particular the enigmatic and beautiful ‘Wife’s Lament’ and ‘Wulf and Eadwacer’, and their numerous interpretations, and compare them to an extraordinary collection of letters written by influential women to St Boniface in the 8th century.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mbsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: Medieval Laments

Mark Ford and Seamus Perry start their series, The Long and Short, with Tennyson’s ‘Maud’, a weird and disturbing poem about obsession that Tennyson himself was obsessed by. He would recite it in full at the drop of a hat, sometimes more than once, to friends and foes alike – even though it received notoriously bad reviews when it was published. This episode considers why the poem meant so much to him, and what it tells us about the Victorian age.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mark Ford and Seamus Perry start their series, The Long and Short, with Tennyson’s ‘Maud’, a weird and disturbing poem about obsession that Tennyson himself was obsessed by. He would recite it in full at the drop of a hat, sometimes more than once, to friends and foes alike – even though it received notoriously bad reviews when it was published. This episode considers why the poem meant so much to him, and what it tells us about the Victorian age.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full, and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/tlassignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: Tennyson's 'Maud'

In episode one of Among the Ancients, Emily and Tom begin with a beginning, Homer’s Iliad: its depictions of anger and grief, of capricious gods and warriors’ bodies, and the sheer narrative force of the great epic of the Trojan War.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In episode one of Among the Ancients, Emily and Tom begin with a beginning, Homer’s Iliad: its depictions of anger and grief, of capricious gods and warriors’ bodies, and the sheer narrative force of the great epic of the Trojan War.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/atasignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: The 'Iliad'

Mary Wellesley and Irina Dumitrescu start their Medieval Beginnings series with Beowulf, a tale of monsters and heroes that is also a complex collection of interwoven stories about war and the conduct of a warrior society. They consider the poem’s preoccupations with kingship and a pagan past seen through the eyes of a Christian culture, as well as many of the mysteries which still surround its, not least its authorship and many narrative curiosities.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: lrb.me/closereadings Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Mary Wellesley and Irina Dumitrescu start their Medieval Beginnings series with Beowulf, a tale of monsters and heroes that is also a complex collection of interwoven stories about war and the conduct of a warrior society. They consider the poem’s preoccupations with kingship and a pagan past seen through the eyes of a Christian culture, as well as many of the mysteries which still surround its, not least its authorship and many narrative curiosities.This is an extract from the episode. To listen in full and to our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mbsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">lrb.me/closereadings</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Shorts: Beowulf

Close Readings is a new kind of podcast subscription from the London Review of Books. Two contributors explore areas of literature through a selection of key works, providing an introductory grounding like no other. Listen to some episodes for free here, and extracts from our ongoing subscriber-only series.Sign up for full access here: lrb.me/closereadingsOur three series running this year are:Among the Ancients with Emily Wilson, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jones, writer and editor at the London Review of Books.Medieval Beginnings with Irina Dumitrescu, Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Bonn, and Mary Wellesley, historian and contributor to the London Review of Books.The Long and Short with Seamus Perry, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, and Mark Ford, Professor of English Literature at University College London.There'll be a new episode from each series every month. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the centenary of the publication of Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ in book form, Mark and Seamus finish the second series of Modern-ish Poets by considering how revolutionary the poem was, the numerous meanings that have been drawn out of it, and its lasting influence.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading on Eliot in the LRB:Frank KermodeDan JacobsonBarbara EverettMark FordTerry EagletonSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in December 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

On the centenary of the publication of Eliot’s ‘The Waste Land’ in book form, Mark and Seamus finish the second series of Modern-ish Poets by considering how revolutionary the poem was, the numerous meanings that have been drawn out of it, and its lasting influence.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Further reading on Eliot in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/kermodeeliotpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Frank Kermode</a><a href="https://lrb.me/jacobsoneliotpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Dan Jacobson</a><a href="https://lrb.me/everetteliotpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Barbara Everett</a><a href="https://lrb.me/fordeliotpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mark Ford</a><a href="https://lrb.me/eagletoneliotpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Terry Eagleton</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in December 2022. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Live! T. S. Eliot

John Ashbery

Frank O'Hara

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the lives and works of Frank O’Hara and John Ashbery, close friends and leading lights of the New York School, who sought to create an anti-academic, hedonistic poetry, freeing themselves from the puritan American tradition.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading on O'Hara and Ashbery in the LRB:C.K. SteadJohn BayleyStephanie BurtJohn KerriganSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in June 2022. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the lives and works of Frank O’Hara and John Ashbery, close friends and leading lights of the New York School, who sought to create an anti-academic, hedonistic poetry, freeing themselves from the puritan American tradition.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Further reading on O'Hara and Ashbery in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/steadashberypod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">C.K. Stead</a><a href="https://lrb.me/bayleyashberypod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">John Bayley</a><a href="https://lrb.me/burtashberypod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Stephanie Burt</a><a href="https://lrb.me/kerriganashberypod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">John Kerrigan</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in June 2022. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Frank O'Hara and John Ashbery

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford look at the life and work of Charlotte Mew, who brought the Victorian art of dramatic monologue into the 20th century, and whose difficult experiences are often refracted through her damaged and marginalised characters.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading on Mew in the LRB:Matthew BevisPenelope FitzgeraldSusannah ClappSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford look at the life and work of Charlotte Mew, who brought the Victorian art of dramatic monologue into the 20th century, and whose difficult experiences are often refracted through her damaged and marginalised characters.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Further reading on Mew in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/bevismewpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Matthew Bevis</a><a href="https://lrb.me/fitzgeraldmewpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Penelope Fitzgerald</a><a href="https://lrb.me/clappmewpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Susannah Clapp</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2021. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Charlotte Mew

W. B. Yeats

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford continue their series with a look at the life and work of W.B. Yeats, from his early quest for a mythological Irish culture, to his shift towards the Modernist experiment, and preoccupation with the ‘murderousness of the world’.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in December 2021. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford continue their series with a look at the life and work of W.B. Yeats, from his early quest for a mythological Irish culture, to his shift towards the Modernist experiment, and preoccupation with the ‘murderousness of the world’.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in December 2021. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: W. B. Yeats

Emily Dickinson

Seamus Perry, Mark Ford and Joanne O’Leary discuss the life and work of Emily Dickinson—her dashes, death instinct and obliquity.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in June 2021.Further reading on Dickinson in the LRB:Joanne O'LearyMark FordDanny KarlinTom PaulinSusan Eilenberg Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus Perry, Mark Ford and Joanne O’Leary discuss the life and work of Emily Dickinson—her dashes, death instinct and obliquity.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in June 2021.Further reading on Dickinson in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/olearydickinsonpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Joanne O'Leary</a><a href="https://lrb.me/forddickinsonpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Mark Ford</a><a href="https://lrb.me/karlindickinsonpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Danny Karlin</a><a href="https://lrb.me/paulindickinsonpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Tom Paulin</a><a href="https://lrb.me/eilenbergdickinsonpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Susan Eilenberg</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Emily Dickinson

Derek Walcott

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the life and work of the Saint Lucian Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, the island poet and playwright surrounded by an oceanic consciousness, whose writing recognises at once the terrible gulfs between peoples and our common predicament.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2021.Further reading on and by Walcott in the LRB:'Militia' by Derek WalcottIan SansomNicholas EverettStephen BrookBlake Morrison Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the life and work of the Saint Lucian Nobel laureate Derek Walcott, the island poet and playwright surrounded by an oceanic consciousness, whose writing recognises at once the terrible gulfs between peoples and our common predicament.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2021.Further reading on and by Walcott in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/walcottmilitiapod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">'Militia' by Derek Walcott</a><a href="https://lrb.me/sansomwalcottpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Ian Sansom</a><a href="https://lrb.me/everettwalcottpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Nicholas Everett</a><a href="https://lrb.me/brookwalcottpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Stephen Brook</a><a href="https://lrb.me/morrisonwalcottpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Blake Morrison</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Derek Walcott

Louis MacNeice

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the life and work of Louis MacNeice, the Irish poet of psychic divisions and authoritative fretfulness, in the fourth episode of series two of Modern-ish Poets.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in November 2020.Further reading on MacNiece in the LRB:Ian HamiltonJohn KerriganMarilyn ButlerNick Laird Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford discuss the life and work of Louis MacNeice, the Irish poet of psychic divisions and authoritative fretfulness, in the fourth episode of series two of Modern-ish Poets.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in November 2020.Further reading on MacNiece in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/hamiltonmacneicepod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Ian Hamilton</a><a href="https://lrb.me/kerriganmacneicepod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">John Kerrigan</a><a href="https://lrb.me/butlermacneicepod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Marilyn Butler</a><a href="https://lrb.me/lairdmacneicepod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Nick Laird</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Louis MacNeice

Adrienne Rich

In the third episode of their second series of Modern-ish Poets, Seamus Perry and Mark Ford turn to the life and work of Adrienne Rich, in whose poems the personal becomes not only political, but epic.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in September 2020.Further reading on Rich in the LRB:Jacqueline RoseStephanie Burt Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the third episode of their second series of Modern-ish Poets, Seamus Perry and Mark Ford turn to the life and work of Adrienne Rich, in whose poems the personal becomes not only political, but epic.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in September 2020.Further reading on Rich in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/roserichpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Jacqueline Rose</a><a href="https://lrb.me/burtrichpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Stephanie Burt</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Adrienne Rich

Robert Frost

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford look at the life and work of Robert Frost, the great American poet of fences and dark woods. They discuss Frost’s difficult early life as an occasional poultry farmer and teacher, his arrival in England in 1912 amid the flowering of Georgian poetry, and his emergence as the first 20th-century professional poet, whose version of the American wilderness myth, full of mischief and foreboding, took him to packed concert halls and a presidential inauguration.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsSeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in August 2020.Further reading on Frost in the LRB:Leo MarxHelen VendlerPeter HowarthMatthew Bevis Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Seamus Perry and Mark Ford look at the life and work of Robert Frost, the great American poet of fences and dark woods. They discuss Frost’s difficult early life as an occasional poultry farmer and teacher, his arrival in England in 1912 amid the flowering of Georgian poetry, and his emergence as the first 20th-century professional poet, whose version of the American wilderness myth, full of mischief and foreboding, took him to packed concert halls and a presidential inauguration.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/mpsignuppod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in August 2020.Further reading on Frost in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/marxfrostpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Leo Marx</a><a href="https://open.acast.com/shows/63d803d89b3279001143cdae/episodes/lrb.me/vendlerfrostpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Helen Vendler</a><a href="https://lrb.me/howarthfrostpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Peter Howarth</a><a href="https://lrb.me/bevisfrostpod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Matthew Bevis</a> Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Robert Frost

Gerard Manley Hopkins

In the first episode of their second series of Modern-ish Poets, Seamus Perry and Mark Ford take on Gerard Manley Hopkins: Victorian literature’s only anti-modern proto-modernist queer-ecologist Jesuit priest.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: https://lrb.me/closereadingsFurther reading on Hopkins in the LRB:Helen VendlerPatricia BeerJohn BayleySeries one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2020. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the first episode of their second series of Modern-ish Poets, Seamus Perry and Mark Ford take on Gerard Manley Hopkins: Victorian literature’s only anti-modern proto-modernist queer-ecologist Jesuit priest.To listen to series one of Modern-ish Poets and all our other Close Readings series, sign up here: <a href="https://lrb.me/closereadings" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">https://lrb.me/closereadings</a>Further reading on Hopkins in the LRB:<a href="https://lrb.me/vendlerhopkinspod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Helen Vendler</a><a href="https://lrb.me/beerhopkinspod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">Patricia Beer</a><a href="https://lrb.me/bayleyhopkinspod" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">John Bayley</a>Series one of Modern-ish Poets looks at Philip Larkin, W. H. Auden, Elizabeth Bishop, Thomas Hardy, Stevie Smith, A. E. Housman, Wallace Stevens, Sylvia Plath, Seamus Heaney and Robert Lowell.This episode was first published on the LRB Podcast in March 2020. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Modern-ish Poets Series 2: Gerard Manley Hopkins

Close Readings is a new kind of podcast subscription from the London Review of Books. Two contributors explore areas of literature through a selection of key works, providing an introductory grounding like no other. Listen to some episodes for free here, and extracts from our ongoing subscriber-only series.Sign up for full access here: <a href="https://lrb.me/closereadings" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">lrb.me/closereadings</a>Our three series running this year are:<ul><li>Among the Ancients with Emily Wilson, Professor of Classical Studies at the University of Pennsylvania, and Thomas Jones, writer and editor at the London Review of Books.</li><li>Medieval Beginnings with Irina Dumitrescu, Professor of Medieval English Literature at the University of Bonn, and Mary Wellesley, historian and contributor to the London Review of Books.</li><li>The Long and Short with Seamus Perry, Professor of English Literature at the University of Oxford, and Mark Ford, Professor of English Literature at University College London.</li></ul> There'll be a new episode from each series every month. Hosted on Acast. See <a href="https://acast.com/privacy" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" target="_blank">acast.com/privacy</a> for more information.

Close Readings

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