Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening
Michael Symmons Roberts examines the lasting appeal and resonance of Robert Frost鈥檚 masterpiece, a century on from the poem鈥檚 creation.
A hundred years since he wrote it, the same basic truths still apply to the poem that Robert Frost knew almost immediately would be his 鈥榖est bid for remembrance鈥�.
Stopping By Woods On A Snowy Evening is on one level immensely accessible, as welcoming and familiar as a Thomas Kinkade jigsaw puzzle. At the very same time, it is intensely strange and finally unfathomable, full of shadows and unanswered questions. Who owns these woods that are so lovely dark and deep? Why is the speaker making such an urgent journey on 鈥榯he darkest evening of the year鈥�, - and what exactly are the 鈥榩romises鈥� the speaker has to keep?
In exploring these questions, Michael Symmons Roberts hopes to discover the ways and the reasons why a poem in which so little actually happens has lodged itself so firmly into the popular imagination. In his quest, he鈥檒l be joined by poets Jen Hadfield and Carl Phillips, as well as ardent Frost fan, Frank Skinner.
Producer - Geoff Bird
Executive Producer - Eloise Whitmore
A Naked production for 麻豆社 Radio 4
Last on
Broadcasts
- Christmas Day 2022 21:30麻豆社 Radio 4
- Boxing Day 2022 16:00麻豆社 Radio 4