Fine piece in the Observer last Sunday about a collection of poetry chosen by men. Co-edited by poker supremo Tony Holden – described by the paper more decorously as journalist and biographer – and his film producer son, Ben, the poems have been chosen by people like John le Carre, Nicholas Cave and Daniel Radcliffe. Auden tops the poll with his Lullaby: ” Lay your sleeping head, my love, Human on my faithless arm.” After Auden comes Hardy, AE Housman and Philip Larkin.
Holden pere expresses surprise that his own favourite, John Donne, wasn’t chosen by anyone. What? No one went for Donne’s passionate Newfoundland? But maybe that’s just me.
The anthology, Poems That Make Grown Men Cry, will be launched on April 29 at the National Theatre with people like Simon Russell Beale reading his selected poem.
The feature is an excellent literary piece written by the paper’s Arts and Media correspondent, Vanessa Thorpe, but somewhat marred by the dead hand of balance in the final para in which writer Maggie Gee is brought on board to tell us what she thinks women might choose.
This is strong, stand-alone writing about men and poetry and I’ll buy the book without any need to go into playground mode with boys in one corner and girls in the other.
Mary Russell 