Customer Reviews

Owen Sheers: A Poet's Guide to Britain

5 star:		(2)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

"A Poet's Guide to Britain" comes in two forms: a book and a DVD. The book covers a great deal more: more poems, poets and regions of Britain. The video is both written and presented by Owen Sheers, one of the best new Welsh poets in English (though he does speak Welsh) and author. I have reviewed several of his books in the past in Ninnau.
The book is a collection of poems arranged according to how they describe the landscape of the British Isles. There is a wide selection of poets, some famous some not so well known; Welsh, English, Scots and Irish. Some modern, some classical (Shakespeare, Walter Scott, T.S. Eliot, William Wordsworth, Thomas Hardy, Robert Browning, Waldo Williams, Gerard Manley Hopkins, to name just a few.
The chapters are arranged according to geographic specifics: London and Cities (38 poems); Villages and Towns (31); Mountains and Moorland (32); Islands (27); Woods and Forests (36); Coast and Sea (36). Each section contains a number of poems chosen by Mr. Sheers which, in his opinion, best brings to light the imagery and spirit of that piece of ground. Welsh poets are very well represented with Menna Efin, Idris Davies, R.S. Thomas, Dylan Thomas, Gwyneth Lewis, Gillian Clarke, Christine Evans, Roland Mathias, Jo Shapcott, Dannie Abse, Lynette Roberts, Alun Lewis, Robert Minhinnock, Llewelyn ap y Moel, Waldo Williams.
The DVD takes the first poem in each section and does a thorough study of the poem, the poet, and the place. One of the poets reviewed is actually an American, Sylvia Plath whose poem "Wuthering Heights" is studied. The others include William Wordsworth (Composed Upon Westminster Bridge), Matthew Arnold (Dover Beach), Louis MacNeice (Woods), George Mackay Brown (Hamnavoe) and the Welsh entry Lynette Roberts (Poem from Llanybri). All of these studies are fascinating covering not only the content and meaning of the poem, but the poet, his/her life, where the poem was written, the location of the writing.
Don't know much about poetry. Don't know much about British geography. What a wonderful way to do both. The only thing negative I can say is that Owen should have included some of his own poetry. Or would that be "hubris"?
"A Poet's Guide to Britain" is available on Amazon for $12.38 (book) and $22.14 (video). The book is published by Penguin and the video by Kultur.

i am trying to get the most out of poetry and Owen really helped. I can watch the dvd over and over, i may go to Britain next spring just to follow his trail.