> Tell me - does anyone know anything about him? All I know of him is the
> > anthology poems
Francis Berry was also deeply admired by G.Wilson Knight, one the oddest
imaginative loopy and interesting donnish literary critics and expostulators
of the just gone century, and too, from a totally different angle, rated by
the Group host, Edward Lucie-Smith.
Which means he had fans among both acolytes of John Cowper Powys and Philip
Hobsbawn.
Like such creative disjunctions. I think I prefer his Icelandic pieces
myself.
Best
Dave
----- Original Message -----
From: "Matthew Francis" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2001 10:35 PM
Subject: Re: Beowulf (was Re: HG my name JG my game WS wont same)
> I knew Francis quite well when we both lived in Winchester. He gave
> occasional poetry readings in a high dramatic style which was quite
> effective once you got over the initial culture shock. (He was famous as a
> poetry reader in his younger days and wrote a book about voice in poetry.)
> When I knew him, he was already into his 80s, and had a charming,
> considerably younger wife, Eileen, who confined him to one corner of one
> room, which he would cover with papers and cigarette ash. He gave me a
copy
> of his Collected Poems, which I'm embarrassed to say I haven't read much
> of - being rather daunted by the size of the book, the length of the poems
> and the lack of an obvious entry point. I've just got it down, following
> Robin's recommendation, and am having another look.
>
> Best wishes
>
> Matthew
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: <[log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Wednesday, August 08, 2001 10:20 PM
> Subject: Re: Beowulf (was Re: HG my name JG my game WS wont same)
>
>
> > > But
> > >the master has to be Francis Berry -- "Morant Bay", _Ghosts of
> Greenland_,
> > >and as shorter example, "Hvalsey" (in _GG_, and Lucie-smith's BP since
> 45).
> >
> > Yes - that's FABULOUS.
> >
> > Tell me - does anyone know anything about him? All I know of him is the
> > anthology poems -
> >
> > Best
> >
> > A
> >
>
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