麻豆约拍

Poet Daljit Nagra revisits the 麻豆约拍's poetry archive and chooses Edward Thomas - The Journey to War. The London Welsh poet was killed during the Battle of Arras, just over 100 years ago. He was 39 years old.

Gwyneth Lewis, Wales' first National Poet, has admired his work greatly over many years. 鈥楨dward Thomas: The Journey to War鈥� is her tribute to him.
She presents a comprehensive portrait of Thomas, the man and his work.

The programme features interviews from Cardiff University鈥檚 Special Collections and Archives. Amongst the extensive collection are recordings with Edward Thomas鈥� widow, Helen, and his daughters, Bronwen and Myfanwy.

Thomas was one of the most important poets of the 20th century, influencing poets such as Ted Hughes, Philip Larkin and R.S. Thomas.

Professor Edna Longley, a leading Edward Thomas scholar, tells Gwyneth that Thomas has a unique place in poetry:
鈥淎n extraordinary thing is the number of poets today and in the past century who have written poems to or about Edward Thomas. There is no other poet of whom the same is true. So he is 鈥榓 poet鈥檚 poet鈥� in the best sense of that term.鈥�

He isn鈥檛 however, an elitist poet. As Edna Longley says, Thomas, to use Virginia Woolf鈥檚 phrase, is also read by 鈥榯he common reader鈥�. His most well-known poem, "Addlestrop" is one of the most requested poems on 麻豆约拍 Radio 4鈥檚 鈥淧oetry Please鈥�.

Produced by Dinah Jones.

First broadcast on 麻豆约拍 Radio Wales in 2017.