and beyond decent hours. I feel a working class hero (David Bowie), the fact
that my work is with paper does not mean that I have better conditions, or
that I like what I do when I am not under too much stress. There are moments
in which I could fall asleep standing, once I remember I could not even keep
my eyes open in class while teaching. And that is when I had to cut down the
film festivals years ago.
On Sun, May 25, 2008 at 3:23 PM, Roger Collett <[log in to unmask]>
wrote:
> In nineteenth century England the working class had to work 100% of their
> waking hours and so had little time for education and even less for writing.
> I mean who, of the better-known poets today could be classed as from a
> working class background? There must be some although I only know of a few,
> mainly women here in the NorthEast. Jackie Litherland, Gillian Allnutt,
> Katrina Porteous. The men are mostly less well known although there are a
> few. Does writing relatively mainstream poetry make them middle class? I
> wouldn't have thought so, but that seems to be your take on it.
> "New definition" - writing *good* poetry makes you middle class. I don't
> think so, any more than the fact that I try to publish *good* poetry, as I
> see it, changes the fact that I come from a working class background and,
> like my father before me, I am still working beyond pensionable age.
>
> Roger
>
> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Bircumshaw" <
> [log in to unmask]>
> To: <[log in to unmask]>
> Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 1:33 PM
> Subject: Re: New beats (???)
>
>
>
> I'll put it another way, Roger. If I were to describe
>> nineteenth-century English literature as being predominantly
>> middle-class nobody would raise an eyebrow. That isn't a pejorative
>> description it's just what it was. The same is still true of
>> contemporary literature. It's a different literature, it dresses
>> smarter and likes to tell little jokes and so forth. But if you
>> compare it to older middle-class literature it's very limited.
>>
>> 2008/5/25 Roger Collett <[log in to unmask]>:
>>
>>> Which current British authors would you consider to be working class then
>>> Dave? Good writers that is, worthy of note.
>>>
>>> Roger
>>>
>>>
>>> ----- Original Message ----- From: "David Bircumshaw"
>>> <[log in to unmask]>
>>> To: <[log in to unmask]>
>>> Sent: Sunday, May 25, 2008 9:11 AM
>>> Subject: New beats (???)
>>>
>>>
>>> Here's an example of the predominant current middle-class narrative of
>>>> poetry in Britain .
>>>>
>>>> http://books.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,,2281914,00.html
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> David Bircumshaw
>>>> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
>>>> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
>>>> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
>>>> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> David Bircumshaw
>> Website and A Chide's Alphabet
>> http://homepage.ntlworld.com/david.bircumshaw/
>> The Animal Subsides http://www.arrowheadpress.co.uk/books/animal.html
>> Leicester Poetry Society: http://www.poetryleicester.co.uk
>>
>>
--
Anny Ballardini
http://annyballardini.blogspot.com/
http://www.fieralingue.it/modules.php?name=poetshome
http://www.moriapoetry.com/ebooks.html
I Tell You: One must still have chaos in one to give birth to a dancing
star!
|