Article
Lite Verse
January 18, 2006
October 23, 2002
A notebook kept by the British poet Philip Larkin will be up for sale after having been discovered on a rubbish tip. The book contains drafts of two poems by Larkin, as well as fragments “which, if genuine, show that one of the 20th century's most fastidious writers had an unsuspected talent for greetings card verses,” writes The Guardian.
James Booth, professor of English at Hull University and secretary of the Philip Larkin Society, has called the sections of the notebook containing Larkin’s two published poems “unquestionably authentic”. He has not seen the fragments of ‘casual verse’, however, one of which runs:
Be My Valentine this Monday.
Even though we're miles apart!
Time will separate us one day -
Till then you will [be] in my heart.
Poet Laureate admits to taking chemical stimulants
October 15, 2002
British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion has admitted to taking a daily dose of Lemsip in order to aid his writing. Lemsip, a cold remedy, contains a decongestant, caffeine and paracetamol. “It is absolutely conducive to poems,” Motion told the BBC. “It works. I’ve been doing it for years and it’s become habitual.” The poet claims to have been inspired by the example of A.E. Houseman, who wrote most of “A Shropshire Lad” when he had a cold. A spokesman for Lemsip, however, denied its poetic side-effects. “It is fair to say that it doesn’t cause poetry in most people.”
Poetry better than drugs
October 10, 2002
Growing medical evidence suggests that writing verse can in some cases be as effective against depression as taking Prozac. Dr Robin Philipp, a consultant in occupational and public health at Bristol Royal Infirmary, questioned 200 patients with psychological disorders about the effects of poetry, the BBC reports. Philipp claims poetry works as an “emotional catharsis”, and helps people to articulate their thoughts. Three quarters of his patients found poetry “cathartic and helpful”; seven per cent claimed to have weaned themselves off anti-depressants altogether, with the aid of poetry and their GP. “It is suggested by some psychologists that the rhytmic, sing-song nature of poems is particularly helpful because it stimulates the brain’s limbic system which is responsible for emotion,” Philipp explained in The Independent, thus unwittingly presenting more ammunition to {id="366" title="opponents of free verse"}.
Toilet paper literature
October 10, 2002
German poetry lovers who like to read on the toilet no longer need to bring their favorite collections in with them. Poems by Heinrich Heine and Christian Morgenstern, as well as various works of fiction, can from now on be read on rolls of toilet paper, published by Klo-Verlag. “We want our books to be used,” the head of Klo-Verlag said. All poems are reprinted several times on a roll, so that more than one reader can enjoy them. (Reuters)
Larkin notebook found
Poet laureate's drug habit
Poetry against depression
Toilet paper literature
Larkin’s light verse rescued from rubbish heapOctober 23, 2002
A notebook kept by the British poet Philip Larkin will be up for sale after having been discovered on a rubbish tip. The book contains drafts of two poems by Larkin, as well as fragments “which, if genuine, show that one of the 20th century's most fastidious writers had an unsuspected talent for greetings card verses,” writes The Guardian.
James Booth, professor of English at Hull University and secretary of the Philip Larkin Society, has called the sections of the notebook containing Larkin’s two published poems “unquestionably authentic”. He has not seen the fragments of ‘casual verse’, however, one of which runs:
Be My Valentine this Monday.
Even though we're miles apart!
Time will separate us one day -
Till then you will [be] in my heart.
Poet Laureate admits to taking chemical stimulants
October 15, 2002
British Poet Laureate Andrew Motion has admitted to taking a daily dose of Lemsip in order to aid his writing. Lemsip, a cold remedy, contains a decongestant, caffeine and paracetamol. “It is absolutely conducive to poems,” Motion told the BBC. “It works. I’ve been doing it for years and it’s become habitual.” The poet claims to have been inspired by the example of A.E. Houseman, who wrote most of “A Shropshire Lad” when he had a cold. A spokesman for Lemsip, however, denied its poetic side-effects. “It is fair to say that it doesn’t cause poetry in most people.”
Poetry better than drugs
October 10, 2002
Growing medical evidence suggests that writing verse can in some cases be as effective against depression as taking Prozac. Dr Robin Philipp, a consultant in occupational and public health at Bristol Royal Infirmary, questioned 200 patients with psychological disorders about the effects of poetry, the BBC reports. Philipp claims poetry works as an “emotional catharsis”, and helps people to articulate their thoughts. Three quarters of his patients found poetry “cathartic and helpful”; seven per cent claimed to have weaned themselves off anti-depressants altogether, with the aid of poetry and their GP. “It is suggested by some psychologists that the rhytmic, sing-song nature of poems is particularly helpful because it stimulates the brain’s limbic system which is responsible for emotion,” Philipp explained in The Independent, thus unwittingly presenting more ammunition to {id="366" title="opponents of free verse"}.
Toilet paper literature
October 10, 2002
German poetry lovers who like to read on the toilet no longer need to bring their favorite collections in with them. Poems by Heinrich Heine and Christian Morgenstern, as well as various works of fiction, can from now on be read on rolls of toilet paper, published by Klo-Verlag. “We want our books to be used,” the head of Klo-Verlag said. All poems are reprinted several times on a roll, so that more than one reader can enjoy them. (Reuters)
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