Poetic People: Caroline Gilfillan on Samuel Pepys

London and St Paul's ... but not quite as Pepys would have known it

I heard a riveting talk and poetry reading at UCS in Ipwich today. The presentation was given by Caroline Gilfillan, who has recently launched her poetry collection, Pepys, a work inspired by the famous diary.

Caroline Gilfillan’s poetry pamphlet, Yes, won the East Anglian Award for poetry in 2010. Caroline won the George Crabbe poetry competition in 2012 and the Jarrold’s Prize for the best poem by a Norfolk writer in 2007. Her poetry and fiction have been published in many magazines, including Mslexia and The London Magazine.

I visited Tate Modern for the first time recently, via the Thames Clipper from Greenwich. I took this view from the gallery, which is a converted power station. Later in the day we walked over the Thames on this bridge to St Paul's. Caroline reminded us just how different everything would have been in Pepys' day, with the devastation of the Great Fire of London ... and surgery without modern anaesthesia!

And for those who would also like to read an account of Pepys in prose, Caroline recommended Samuel Pepys: the Unequalled Self by Claire Tomalin.

Do look out for Caroline's poetry collection, published by Hawthorn Press.

STOP PRESS: I have just heard from Caroline, who adds ...

"People can buy Pepys by emailing me directly from here or via my website: www.carolinegilfillan.co.uk where they can also read some of my poems. Thanks!"

History Matters (1): Anne Frank Exhibition, Swansea

Statue in Amsterdam

The Anne Frank Trust exhibition about Holocaust victim and diarist, Anne Frank, is to go on display in Swansea Museum on Victoria Road from 9 April to 4 May. Don't miss it.

• Anne Frank's Amsterdam
  

Calendar Corner (9): World Book Day

Today is World Book Day, and I thought it would be good to mention the books on my recent/current reading list. I have piles of books beside my different chairs in the house, so I have a number on the go at once.



Books on my desk:

• The Cinder Path by Andrew Motion (Faber). I bought this sparkling new collection with a birthday book token, and have been delighted with the range of subjects and styles. Two poems that come immediately to mind are 'Raven' (a sonnet) and 'The Grave of Rupert Brooke' (which is on the Greek island of Skyros. [POETRY]
  
• The Ring of Words: Tolkien and the Oxford English Dictionary by Gilliver, Marshall and Weiner (OUP). A fascinating read for those who want to distinguish their 'mathom' (or 'stash' in scrapbooking speak) from their 'mithril' (the name of a particular precious metal). [LANGUAGE]

Books on my bedside cabinet:

• A Century of Poetry Review edited by Fiona Sampson (Carcanet) - a treasure trove of pieces published in 'Poetry Review' over the last 100 years. [POETRY]
  
• Notes from Walnut Tree Farm by Roger Deakin (Penguin) - a rural diary. [NATURE MEMOIR]
  
• Getting into Poetry by Paul Hyland (Bloodaxe) - a useful guide to the poetry scene [POETRY]
  
• The Secret Mandarin by Sara Sheridan (Avon/Harper Collins) - I became really engrossed in this extraordinary 19th century story about an obsessive plant collector in China, accompanied by his actress sister-in-law. [FICTION]

Books on my coffee table:

• A Shepherd looks at the Twenty-Third Psalm by Philip Keller (Zondervan). I bought this aboard the Logos Hope when it was moored in Cardiff last year, on the recommendation of a relative who works in the field of agriculture. More than 1/5 million copies have sold since publication. [DEVOTIONAL]
  
• Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain by Betty Edwards. As a left-handed person who has just begun some classes in oil painting, this seemed the book for me! [PRACTICAL ART THEORY]

I wonder what you are dipping into at the moment. Happy reading!

A Mix of Media (2): BBC Costume Drama

The Guardian reports that the BBC plans to spend less money on period drama productions. Little Dorrit failed, apparently, to pull in the punters. From Larkrise to Candleford, however, is due to run for a third series. The Diary of Anne Frank and the Penry Jones 'version' of The Thirty Nine Steps had high ratings and will set the trend for future adaptations. I, for one, would be very sad to think that there were not going to be many more productions of classic literature. I would love to see dramatisations of Buchan on television ... but only if the screen writers stick to the original storylines.