WEBVTT

00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:03.930 align:middle line:84%
We are very fortunate to have
the Scottish poet, George

00:00:03.930 --> 00:00:07.020 align:middle line:84%
Macbeth who has given
a number of readings

00:00:07.020 --> 00:00:10.050 align:middle line:84%
in Britain, in other
parts of the United

00:00:10.050 --> 00:00:13.920 align:middle line:84%
Kingdom throughout the world
and now is on a two month tour

00:00:13.920 --> 00:00:16.500 align:middle line:90%
here in the United States.

00:00:16.500 --> 00:00:20.640 align:middle line:84%
Mr Macbeth, is currently
giving most of his attention

00:00:20.640 --> 00:00:24.060 align:middle line:84%
when he is not writing
poetry to the BBC,

00:00:24.060 --> 00:00:29.700 align:middle line:84%
he is the arts and poetry
producer for the third program

00:00:29.700 --> 00:00:33.150 align:middle line:84%
and has put of course, a great
deal of time and attention

00:00:33.150 --> 00:00:36.600 align:middle line:90%
on the poetry programs.

00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:38.302 align:middle line:90%
We'll see your next--

00:00:38.302 --> 00:00:41.220 align:middle line:84%
[RECORDING STARTS OVER] This,
except, for the meeting,

00:00:41.220 --> 00:00:44.940 align:middle line:84%
the poetry awards next
week, is the last meeting

00:00:44.940 --> 00:00:47.820 align:middle line:84%
for the season of the Ruth
Stephan Poetry Center,

00:00:47.820 --> 00:00:50.310 align:middle line:84%
we hope we'll see
you next October.

00:00:50.310 --> 00:00:54.630 align:middle line:84%
Tonight we are very fortunate to
have the Scottish poet, George

00:00:54.630 --> 00:00:59.010 align:middle line:84%
Macbeth who has given a
number of readings in Britain,

00:00:59.010 --> 00:01:02.220 align:middle line:84%
in other parts of the United
Kingdom throughout the world

00:01:02.220 --> 00:01:07.230 align:middle line:84%
and now is on a two month tour
here in the United States.

00:01:07.230 --> 00:01:11.340 align:middle line:84%
Mr Macbeth, is currently
giving most of his attention

00:01:11.340 --> 00:01:14.760 align:middle line:84%
when he is not writing
poetry to the BBC,

00:01:14.760 --> 00:01:20.430 align:middle line:84%
he is the arts and poetry
producer for the third program

00:01:20.430 --> 00:01:23.880 align:middle line:84%
and has put of course, a great
deal of time and attention

00:01:23.880 --> 00:01:26.340 align:middle line:90%
on the poetry programs.

00:01:26.340 --> 00:01:29.700 align:middle line:84%
In that connection
for about five years

00:01:29.700 --> 00:01:35.250 align:middle line:84%
he inaugurated and he edited
the new comment program, which

00:01:35.250 --> 00:01:37.170 align:middle line:84%
now I believe has
changed its name

00:01:37.170 --> 00:01:39.960 align:middle line:84%
and is in a slightly
different format.

00:01:39.960 --> 00:01:42.960 align:middle line:84%
He also at the present though
he says he has never taught,

00:01:42.960 --> 00:01:46.230 align:middle line:84%
is teaching a course
at Tufts that is

00:01:46.230 --> 00:01:51.360 align:middle line:84%
the Boston University, a section
in London of 20th century

00:01:51.360 --> 00:01:52.240 align:middle line:90%
poetry.

00:01:52.240 --> 00:01:56.370 align:middle line:84%
He's been giving me some very
good tips on that subject.

00:01:56.370 --> 00:01:59.310 align:middle line:84%
Mr. Macbeth, was
born in Lanarkshire

00:01:59.310 --> 00:02:01.800 align:middle line:90%
in South Central Scotland.

00:02:01.800 --> 00:02:05.850 align:middle line:84%
He came to Yorkshire
when he was a child of 4,

00:02:05.850 --> 00:02:08.490 align:middle line:84%
and he spent most of his
adult life of course,

00:02:08.490 --> 00:02:12.330 align:middle line:84%
in Britain and in
and around London

00:02:12.330 --> 00:02:17.670 align:middle line:84%
since he left Oxford, where he
took a first in grades at New

00:02:17.670 --> 00:02:20.520 align:middle line:90%
college.

00:02:20.520 --> 00:02:26.460 align:middle line:84%
Mr. Macbeth's versatility in
poetry is somewhat remarkable.

00:02:26.460 --> 00:02:28.620 align:middle line:84%
He has written
poetry for children,

00:02:28.620 --> 00:02:32.340 align:middle line:84%
we have a book at the center
we hope to get another shortly,

00:02:32.340 --> 00:02:36.570 align:middle line:84%
he has written or he has
edited three anthologies

00:02:36.570 --> 00:02:39.250 align:middle line:90%
for the penguin people.

00:02:39.250 --> 00:02:43.680 align:middle line:84%
The first is the penguin
Book of Sick Verse, which

00:02:43.680 --> 00:02:47.760 align:middle line:84%
is a somewhat peculiar title
and I hope it's not a pun.

00:02:47.760 --> 00:02:52.470 align:middle line:84%
The Book of Animal
Verse, which is also

00:02:52.470 --> 00:02:56.220 align:middle line:84%
an interesting title and
The Book of Victorian Verse.

00:02:56.220 --> 00:02:59.070 align:middle line:84%
Then he has in
addition to any number

00:02:59.070 --> 00:03:03.760 align:middle line:84%
of periodical publications
several books,

00:03:03.760 --> 00:03:10.080 align:middle line:84%
including The Broken
Places, A Doomsday Book,

00:03:10.080 --> 00:03:14.190 align:middle line:84%
The Color of Blood, and
The Night of the Stones.

00:03:14.190 --> 00:03:15.960 align:middle line:84%
I think a good many
of you might be

00:03:15.960 --> 00:03:24.270 align:middle line:84%
interested in a recent poem on
the occupation of Stalingrad,

00:03:24.270 --> 00:03:29.580 align:middle line:84%
which occurs in the Poetry
Review for this winter.

00:03:29.580 --> 00:03:32.820 align:middle line:84%
I think we're especially
fortunate to have Mr. Macbeth

00:03:32.820 --> 00:03:37.450 align:middle line:84%
tonight, because at least
in the last decades,

00:03:37.450 --> 00:03:41.130 align:middle line:84%
we have been so much
concerned with the variety

00:03:41.130 --> 00:03:45.030 align:middle line:84%
and the vitality of
American poetry as we hope,

00:03:45.030 --> 00:03:48.090 align:middle line:84%
that we sometimes forget
that other people, especially

00:03:48.090 --> 00:03:51.730 align:middle line:84%
other people who can use the
English language are writing.

00:03:51.730 --> 00:03:54.870 align:middle line:84%
And I think it will be most
interesting to us tonight

00:03:54.870 --> 00:04:00.390 align:middle line:84%
to have as distinguished a
practitioner as Mr Macbeth.

00:04:00.390 --> 00:04:03.140 align:middle line:90%
[APPLAUSE]

00:04:03.140 --> 00:04:05.000 align:middle line:90%