麻豆社

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the 麻豆社's poetry archive and selects two short programmes: John Donne - Super Infinite a biography by Katherine Rundell and this week's second choice: Gillian Clarke: A Poet's Year -The Fruits of Summer.

**John Donne 鈥� Super Infinite ep 2/5

Katherine Rundell鈥檚 engaging and witty biography explores John Donne鈥檚 early years, the family鈥檚 history of religious dissent, and a rumour about Thomas More鈥檚 pickled head. This prize-winning biography reveals Donne to be an 鈥渋nfinity merchant鈥�, a man whose preaching could make his congregation weep, a poet whose 鈥渂eauty deserved walk-on music鈥�.

Rundell champions an impossible to categorise man: pirate, soldier, scholar, priest, inventor of new words and author of some of most intensely and intimately passionate poetry in English. Donne was a Catholic who lost - or left - his faith, from a family of martyrs, whose career led him to become Dean of Saint Paul鈥檚 Cathedral.

Reader - Blake Ritson
Abridger - Richard Hamilton
Producer - Allegra McIlroy

First broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 4 in 2023.

**Gillian Clarke - A Poet's Year - The Fruits of Summer ep 2/3

Gillian Clarke, former National Poet of Wales, who was awarded the The Queen's Gold Medal for Poetry in 2010, reads from her journal about life on her smallholding in rural West Wales. Bees, a successful harvest of hay and a family of swallows make a bountiful summer.

As the summer temperatures rise, Clarke struggles with writing indoors.

The Welsh landscape and the healing power of nature are both driving forces in Gillian Clarke's poetry and prose.

Producer: Willa King, 麻豆社 Cymru Wales.

First broadcast on 麻豆社 Radio 4 in 2011

Poetry Extra is presented by Daljit Nagra and produced for 麻豆社 Radio 4 Extra by Sarah Wade.

Show less