Patrick Stewart’s been reading a sonnet a day during lockdown. And Billy Collins has been giving poetry readings. How marvellous is that?
And though the idea to scatter some occasional poem readings amongst Hardcore Literature did cross my mind, I kind of wrote the idea off. Best stick to deep analysis, I thought. But I’ve changed my mind.
There’s actually a dearth of decent poetry readings online. Now, I’m not saying my readings would compare to those of Patrick Stewart or Billy Collins, but I’d like to give a good crack at reading out some of my personal favourites. Worst case scenario, I improve my narrating voice whilst enjoying some great poetry. Best case scenario, I introduce a few people to some new favourite poems.
Anyways, here’s me reading Algernon Charles Swinburne’s ‘Love and Sleep’. This was my favourite poem during my first year at Oxford whilst studying the Victorians.
‘Love and Sleep’ by Swinburne (Poetry Reading)
What poems have you been enjoying recently?