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The People's Favourite Poems: Out and about with Kipling, Larkin and the rest
A unique and beautifully illustrated anthology of the poems that matter most to people, from Kipling's 'If-' to Hopkins' 'Pied Beauty'
When a mystery eye condition made looking at a screen impossible, author Gary Dexter had to rethink how to earn a living. His solution? Learn 100s of famous poems then hit the streets, approaching passers-by and offering to recite their favourite for cash. His new calling soon drags him far beyond his comfort zone. A woman orders him to 'sway like a daffodil' as he performs Wordsworth's floral classic; a security guard marches him out of Primark while he defiantly intones Invictus ('I AM THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL'); a drunk soldier mourning a fallen comrade in Afghanistan requests Auden's 'Funeral Blues' but turns nasty when the nervous performer fluffs a line.
In a series of remarkable, eye-opening encounters, Dexter finds out which poems people really love, and why. The result is an authentic, funny and original twist on a familiar format -- a poetry collection for our times.
When a mystery eye condition made looking at a screen impossible, author Gary Dexter had to rethink how to earn a living. His solution? Learn 100s of famous poems then hit the streets, approaching passers-by and offering to recite their favourite for cash. His new calling soon drags him far beyond his comfort zone. A woman orders him to 'sway like a daffodil' as he performs Wordsworth's floral classic; a security guard marches him out of Primark while he defiantly intones Invictus ('I AM THE CAPTAIN OF MY SOUL'); a drunk soldier mourning a fallen comrade in Afghanistan requests Auden's 'Funeral Blues' but turns nasty when the nervous performer fluffs a line.
In a series of remarkable, eye-opening encounters, Dexter finds out which poems people really love, and why. The result is an authentic, funny and original twist on a familiar format -- a poetry collection for our times.
288 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2019
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6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
September 23, 2023
As someone that enjoys poetry but feels like they know way too little about poetry and famous poets this was a great book to get a general idea of that world. It was interesting to get to read all these famous poems and the context around them and the poets all in one book.
I really did enjoy it, I just got a bit annoyed at the author every once in a while when he was very judgmental of people. He sometimes came off as a bit bitter, but at least kind of self-aware? Especially when he was describing people’s appearances and making (to me) all sorts of assumptions about them. Either way, that issue was more something that I just raised my eyebrows at and moved on, still a great book for anyone interested in poetry! I suppose when you spend a year trying to get people to pay you for a poetry recital when they’re probably not in the mood for it you meet quite a lot of people that are rude. A thankless job it seems.
On a completely different note, on page 69 in the chapter about Poe, he uses the word “morbolatrous” which I attempted to look up online but there were literally zero results. I assume based on the context and the connection to the word morbidity that it means something like “deathly/dead” but I would love to find a proper definition!
I really did enjoy it, I just got a bit annoyed at the author every once in a while when he was very judgmental of people. He sometimes came off as a bit bitter, but at least kind of self-aware? Especially when he was describing people’s appearances and making (to me) all sorts of assumptions about them. Either way, that issue was more something that I just raised my eyebrows at and moved on, still a great book for anyone interested in poetry! I suppose when you spend a year trying to get people to pay you for a poetry recital when they’re probably not in the mood for it you meet quite a lot of people that are rude. A thankless job it seems.
On a completely different note, on page 69 in the chapter about Poe, he uses the word “morbolatrous” which I attempted to look up online but there were literally zero results. I assume based on the context and the connection to the word morbidity that it means something like “deathly/dead” but I would love to find a proper definition!
March 17, 2024
Might become an insufferable poetry guy, just like the author!
November 8, 2025
As an introduction to poetry this was great for me. It did the popular ones which to be honest are easy enough for me to follow but also explained why they were famous and what was great about them.
And you know what with life's great events death and love there is something which can only be said by poetry.
And you know what with life's great events death and love there is something which can only be said by poetry.
June 8, 2023
Delightful and insightful. A good book worth your while.
September 1, 2024
Ik heb er even 2 jaar over gedaan, maar onlangs inderdaad opnieuw begonnen en blij dat ik dat gedaan heb! Prima intro tot een paar klassiekers, en de bijgaande stukjes tekst zijn soms verhelderend, soms geestig en af en toe vind ik de auteur daarin een beetje een pipo 🙈. Maar ga ik hier af en toe doorheen blijven bladeren? Dat denk ik wel :).
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews