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Three poems by Anthony Costello

Anthony Costello (from ‘The Antique Hunter’): cabinets of Glost earthenware
and fine bone china,
recognizing a Stradivarius or 1st
of Ulysses when I see one

A partial archive of the New Series.

A partial archive of the New Series, 2009-2023.

Keats: letters, home.

Anthony Costello: ‘Keats’ short and impassioned life is a continual search for home: home as place, family, friends, love, and poetry itself. Poetry is his palace of a home — a palace to which we, as readers, have access. His correspondence and 49 verse-letters show this heartfelt search is pivotal to his life and work.’

Kallic distance.

Michial Farmer: ‘The descriptions in “Prufrock” are to a large extent imaginary, perhaps inspired by other cities of his acquaintance. The supposed nastiness of the physical descriptions are likely the product of Eliot’s depression, or at least Prufrock’s.’

The eyes of Coleridge.

Anthony Costello: ‘Coleridge’s eye poems sets him apart from other Romantic poets. Eyes are central to dozens of important poems and present in the form of significant phrases and lines in hundreds more. They are present as basic descriptors: ‘dark disliking eye’, ‘dim eyes’, ‘bright blue eyes’, but then the adjectives become more revealing and turn into adverbs and verbs…’

Artists and their Physicians: Vincent van Gogh and Doctor Paul Gachet.

Anthony Costello and Emma Storr: ‘One interpretation of the relationship between artist and doctor is that Gachet’s life-long interest in art manifested itself in the wish fulfilment to be Vincent van Gogh, so he dressed like his patient, he tried to paint like his patient and he made a second ‘fake’ copy of the eponymous painting. He also collected his patient’s paintings, painted a deathbed scene so that his painting became synonymous with the great Vincent van Gogh in death and he became custodian of a cache of Van Gogh paintings.’

On a poem by John Riley.

Peter Riley: ‘I therefore wanted to look in detail at what was actually happening in a John Riley poem, without any developmental or contextual narrative concerning his work or anything else, and to steer clear of generalities and automative associations (such as that to some people any mid-twentieth-century English poet worth reading has to be “not unlike Larkin” in the last analysis, however distant he or she may in fact be from the Emperor of Hull). To look, then, at what the language is doing in a John Riley poem.’

The far side of Farage.

Michael Blackburn: ‘ Contrary to the media portrayal of him, Robinson emerges from his descriptions of these experiences as a level-headed and generous man who would rather live in peace with his neighbours than be in conflict with them. Perhaps if he were more Middle England he wouldn’t be treated so badly: “Lads like me march and we’re thugs. Middle class tweedies march and the nation is speaking.” It’s the class thing again.’

Poets once young — with books received.

Peter Riley: ‘Interviewed in 2008, Harwood said, “I think in your early work you have this drive and confidence, and then later on you’re looking more carefully, possibly, to get the words right, not to allow any foolishness, to make it just right — fine tuned.” This quality is present in the precariousness of his tentative scenes at the same time as the sense of an old and practised hand at work.’

Three poems by Alain-Fournier.

Alain-Fournier: Firstly…no…well…in the evening…perhaps…
I will dare to take her hand, le petit pas;
If this takes too long, and the evening is fresh,
I will speak the truth until I’m out of breath,
And her eyes will be wet with words so tender
And with no-one overhearing, she will answer.

Trois poèmes par Alain-Fournier.

Alain-Fournier: ‘…aux petits gars qui ne s’en vont avec personne
dans le cortège qui s’en va, fier et traîné
vers l’allégresse sans raison, là-bas, qui sonne.’

• Weekend events: Chicago and London. Publishing and Pub Rock.

At Dingwalls, 13 November 2011 – In November of 1971, New York City band Eggs Over Easy made their last appearance at the legendary Tally Ho Pub in Kentish Town. The Eggs are credited by Elvis Costello with jump-starting the “Pub Rock” movement of the early Seventies.

Nick Lowe: the true-blue Basher shows up for a friend.

Austin de Lone: The hallmarks of Nick’s music and indeed his way of life are a casual elegance and simplicity that is mindful of the Beatles and of the classic country artists that Nick so admires – Hank Williams, Wynn Stewart, The Louvin Brothers. The ability to tell a story with but a few words and a simple melodic turn of phrase. Funny, articulate, intelligent, and charming.