Oh, have your listy-poos if you want them, dammit. Keeps the kids quiet in
the back seat, says Peter. Ric is a saint: let him keep his Pearly Gates
round a tiny heaven. Peter Riley a smoky angel. Etc.

But Peter's point about the British Council is a very serious one. They run a
little booklet with bios of the approved poets. For them, that practically is
British poetry and, in my own experience, they will gently push this booklet
on you if you try to set up an alternative style occasion. On that occasion
the literature officer admitted almost entire ignorance of poetry and since he
couldn't stop my event, suggested we have two events to "make a week of it",
one with his booklet poets and one with my list. He left the job,
fortunately, before my reading was held.

The Brit Council mandate allows them to do this -- promoting British arts,
etc. How can such middle-class arts administrators decide which artists to
promote except by choosing the kind of poetry that suits the middle class
audience, is easily comprehensible, preferably in short lumps, and has the
backing of schools, publishers, the Arts Council, the TLS, and the BBC? They
would actually regard all this as the Council's *not* putting a spin on what's
happening, and they won't usually block a determined move to make a different
kind of event happen (I could cite cases where they did, though). I make
these remarks without irony: how can they, with the sources of information
they have as non-participants, act otherwise and fill their mandate? They
could dive into the swim and find out? Not sure that's a realistic hope, with
their lifestyles. I knew all this would happen the minute the "Young
Generation" was launched. But I don't see how poetry can challenge society in
any deep way and still expect all the official freebies. Perhaps at the end
of an honourable life, officialdom can make a safe place for you if you still
want it, but said officials only too easily leave elderly artists facing the
old old grinding poverty. That, to me, is a more interesting cause, actually,
because when we're young we can always get by.

What happened in the sixties was a lot of self-help, a real scene, but no
money. I don't think the numbers are sufficient in Britain these days for a
strong alternative scene -- don't know -- that could change. In the States an
active scene is in place and it makes a hell of a difference. But that's why
I get so distressed when British poetry hives off into small groups or acts
snooty towards other poets, or doesn't buy each others' books. It's
terrifically damaging, lets the British Council/Arts Council/BBC have it all
their own way, and for alternative poets supposed to be so sophisticated about
politics it's terrible politics. The kind that talks a great game but is
never on the mound/at the wicket/on the centre spot/passing the ball instead
of shooting at the basket --- Times leader page, please supply the right
sporting metaphor.

These poetry lists (other signification of the word), for example, ought to be
one rallying point, and I hail all those on the Britpo and Poetry etc.
postings who are actually engaged in activities. We need to speak among our
friends, soften up our alternative scene's quangos, get these lists as active
as possible.

Ted Hughes reads quite well. Shut up in the back seat, kiddos!

Doug


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