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The other week, on an idle Monday morning, and on a whim, I replayed a tape I have of Eliot reading The Waste Land: it was a revelation as it hit me that, contrary to received wisdom, just how powerful a reader of his own work TSE was. I would mildly agree with some reservations about parts of Four Quartets, notice that heavily qualified language, but I've never stinted in my admiration for his best work. It is hard to believe he ever procreated though (mind you he didn't, did he? Not that I ever have, but for my omissions I now have a surrogate step-family of seven, or eight if you include the mom, scattered through various prisons and foster-homes across the Midlands) Best (with a grin - we were at a performance of Haydn's Creation Mass on Saturday btw Mark, not the oratorio) Dave ----- Original Message ----- From: "Alison Croggon" <[log in to unmask]> To: <[log in to unmask]> Sent: Tuesday, March 28, 2006 12:01 AM Subject: Re: Help! The grass is singing > On 28/3/06 7:58 AM, "Stephen Vincent" <[log in to unmask]> wrote: > > > You have to listen to Eliot closer, Mark. > > I just read Four Quartets again the other day. It's still marvellous. I > don't understand why people get so peeved at Eliot; is he too dominant? Too > linked with Leavis (?) Is it simply that his poems are too beautiful? > Ashbery strikes me as someone who draws most interestingly from Eliot's > music; say parts of Flow Chart... > > Best > > A > > > Alison Croggon > > Blog: http://theatrenotes.blogspot.com > Editor, Masthead: http://masthead.net.au > Home page: http://alisoncroggon.com